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Russia sends 53 satellites into orbit in record-breaking launch (video)

Russia launched 53 small satellites into orbit on Monday (November 4), a mix of Russian and international spacecraft.

A Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage that lifted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Russian Far East on Monday at 6:18 p.m. EST (2318 GMT; or 2:18 a.m. November 5 local time).

“The hosted payload consists of 49 Russian Satellites“A Russian-Chinese satellite, a Russian-Zimbabwean satellite and two Iranian small satellites were launched into the intended orbits and separated from the Fregat launch vehicle, which was launched today on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome,” the Russian said Space Agency Roscosmos Russian state news agency TASS said in a statement reported.

A Russian Soyuz rocket puts 53 small satellites into orbit from the Vostochny cosmodrome on November 4, 2024. (Image credit: Roscosmos)

Roscosmos said the 51 domestic satellites on board the launch represented a national record, according to TASS. Other rockets have fired more payloads at once. The entire data set belongs to SpaceXthat launched 143 satellites on a single Falcon 9 rocket January 2021.

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