Space exploration in 2016

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For missions in 2015 click here

PLANNED RUSSIAN SPACE MISSIONS IN 2016

End of 2015 - beginning of 2016: A Proton-M/Briz-M rocket to launch the 6,900-kilogram EchoStar satellite for EchoStar Satellite Services of Englewood, Colorado. The International Launch Services, ILS, which markets Protons overseas, announced the agreement to launch an unspecified EchoStar satellite on May 13, 2013.

End of 2015 - end of 2016: A Soyuz or Vega rocket to launch the 200-kilogram Taranis satellite into a quasi-sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometers. Developed by the French space agency, CNES, the Taranis satellite (Tool for the Analysis of RAdiation from lightNIng and Sprites) will be a secondary payload during a mission to deliver multiple spacecraft. The satellite will study magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere coupling via transient processes, focusing in particular on two aspects: determining the characteristics and frequency of transient luminous events (TLE) involved in the coupling between the ionosphere and atmosphere, and characterizing the electron beams accelerated from the atmosphere to the magnetosphere. The contract for the mission between Toulouse Space Center and Arianespace was announced on July 9, 2012. The agreement also included options for the launch of two other CNES satellites, Microscope and Merlin.

January: A Proton rocket with a Briz-M upper stage to launch the Trace Gas Orbiter and the test lander for the ExoMars-2016 project from Baikonur.

Beginning of 2016: Russia to launch Elektro-VO No. 2 satellite. (As of 2012.)

2016: A Proton-M rocket to launch the Spektr-UF ultraviolet observatory (a.k.a. World Space Observatory Ultraviolet, WSO-UV) from Baikonur.

2016: Russia to launch the Bion-M No. 3 scientific satellite.

2016: Russia to launch Resurs-PM No. 3 remote-sensing satellite.

2016: Russia to launch Resurs-PM No. 1 remote-sensing satellite. (As of 2009, two Resurs-PM satellites were promised in 2015 and 2016 (388). However during 2010-2012, official plans listed a single Resurs-PM launch in 2016.)

2016: Russia to launch the Resurs-PM No. 2 remote-sensing satellite. (As of 2009 388)

2016: A Soyuz-2.1b rocket to launch the Arktika-M No. 2 remote-sensing satellites into a highly elliptical 12-hour orbit designed to monitor high-altitude areas of the Earth.

2016: A Soyuz-2.1b rocket to launch the Arktika-R No. 2 satellite into the polar orbit for radar observations of the polar areas.

2016: A Soyuz-2/Fregat rocket to launch the Luna-Glob-2 (orbiter) toward the Moon. (As of 2012)

2016: A Soyuz-2-1b rocket with the Fregat upper stage to launch the Meteor-M No. 3 remote-sensing satellite. (As of the end of 2009, the launch was promised in 2012, however by that year, the launch slipped to 2016.)

Canceled missions

2016: Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat-SB rocket to launch the Arkon-2M No. 2 remote-sensing satellites for all-weather radar observations of the Earth surface from a 550-600-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit. In 2010, a pair of spacecraft was scheduled for launch in 2013, however by 2012, the first Arkon-2M was expected to fly in 2015 and the second in 2016. The Arkon-2M program was canceled by November 2012.

For missions in 2017 click here

This page is compiled by Anatoly Zak

Last update: May 13, 2013

MEDIA ARCHIVE

Spektr UV

Meteor-M No. 3

The Meteor-M No. 3 spacecraft was expected to feature a drastically different design from its predecessors in a series. Click to enlarge. Credit: VNIIEM

Arkon-2M

The design of the Arkon-2M spacecraft originally proposed by NPO Lavochkin.