The Russian space industry has, unfortunately, taken a blow after this news. The Russian media have reported that one of their military satellites has been lost and destroyed in space. The name of this satellite is Kanopus ST and it was the Soyuz rocket that let it get away.
THE SOYUZ ROCKET LOSES THE KANOPUS ST
The Russian news agency reported that there was an issue when the Kanopus ST was trying to deploy from the Soyuz rocket. They stated that the satellite should have deployed from the rocket when it was around 435 miles above the earth. However, that did not happen as a lock did not open during the separation process. The ability to communicate with the satellite and re-issue the command could not be done either. They say that it entered the atmosphere on the 8th of December and they predict that it has already fully burned up.
WHAT THE KANOPUS ST ON THE SOYUZ ROCKET WAS SUPPOSED TO DO
Space officials commented and said what the purpose of launching this satellite was. They say that it was to monitor submerged submarines for the military. They said it was mainly made to monitor maritime activity. Unfortunately, this satellite was also not an easy device to make. Industry experts have stated that it took this satellite around 10 years to make. Now, it is destroyed and those 10 years of making the Kanopus ST are lost. Well, at least, they know how to make the overall device, but they need to fix this issue so it does not waste any more time.
MILITARY SATELLITES LIKE THE KANOPUS ST DO NOT LAST LONG ANYWAY
Pavel Luzin, an industry expert, actually mentioned that the shelf life for these types of devices is not particularity long. Two or three years is the life length that he gave military satellites. However, two or three years is better than the time that the Kanopus ST had in space!
