(A previous Soyuz launch – Photo Credit: Roscosmos)
A Russian Soyuz 2-1B rocket has successfully delivered two British satellites, including the first made in Scotland, into orbit.
Taking place on July 8th at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the vehicle safely lifted off on schedule at 3:58pm GMT.
The primary payload was a Russian meteorological satellite known as Meteor M2 which will be placed into a 835 kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. With an expected lifespan of five years, Roscosmos hope to launch four of these M class satellites by 2015.
A number of satellites from Norway, America and Latvia also hitched a ride into space as secondary payloads, including two UK satellites.
The first, TechDemoSat-1, is a satellite platform which will function as an ‘in-orbit test facility’ for innovative UK payloads and software, derived from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).
The platform hosts a suite of instruments designed to study space weather however TDS-1 will also monitor the state of the ocean surface by observing how GPS signals are scattered off the water.
The secondary UK payload is the first satellite to be fully assembled in Scotland. The UKube-1 satellite is one of the most advanced 3U cubesats of its kind and will test several new technologies while in space.
Jointly funded by Clyde Space of Scotland and the UK Space Agency (UKSA), this mission was the first to be commissioned by the UKSA since it was formed in 2010.
It features a new imaging sensor that will take pictures of the planet alongside technology that might be used in the future to form the basis of much more secure satellite communications.
UKube-1 is much smaller than TechDemoSat-1. The Scottish satellite weighs just 3.5kg while TechDemoSat-1 is the bigger of the British duo at 157kg.
TechDemoSat-1 was prepared by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited in Guildford by while the assembly of UKube-1 was undertaken at Clyde Space in Glasgow. TDS-1 and UKube-1 both emerged from government-backed programmes which are designed to spur progress and growth within the British space sector.
Among the other minor payloads on the Soyuz rocket was SkySat-2, Skybox Imaging’s second Earth observing craft. However one satellite had to withdraw from the launch. M3M, a Canadian platform, was pulled from the manifest in April by the Canadian government due to the row over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The Solar System & Beyond 
Here’s an idea for next Scottish satellite! The “Automated Bagpipe Orbiter,” which will—- okay, sorry, never mind!