Blagovest satellites (technical identifier 14F149) form a constellation of four geostationary satellites to support Russian Armed Forces communications.
The satellites have Ka and Q band transponders, and provide high speed internet, telephony, and other services.[1] They were manufactured by ISS Reshetnev, and are based on the Ekspress-2000 bus featuring two deployable solar arrays with five panels on each. The design life is 15 years.[2]
The first satellite Kosmos 2520/Blagovest-11L was launched on 16 August 2017,[3] Kosmos 2526/Blagovest 12L on 18 April 2018, Kosmos 2533/Blagovest 13L on 21 December 2018, with the fourth (Kosmos 2539/Blagovest-14L) launched on 5 August 2019, using a Proton-M carrier rocket with Briz-M orbital insertion module.[4] All launches took place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81 Pad 24.[5]
| Satellite | Launched on | Carrier rocket / Orbital insertion module | COSPAR | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blagovest 1 | 16 August 2017 | 2017-046A | 46° est | OK | |
| Blagovest 2 | 18 April 2018 | Proton-M / Briz-M | 2018-037A | 49° est | OK |
| Blagovest 3 | 21 December 2018 | Proton-M / Briz-M | 2018-107A | 52° est | OK |
| Blagovest 4 | 5 August 2019 | Proton-M / Briz-M | 2019-048A | 55° est | OK |