Gonets

Gonets (Russian Гонец, for Messenger) is a Russian civilian low Earth orbit communications satellite system. It consists of a number of satellites, derived from Strela military communications satellites. The first two satellites, which were used to test and validate the system, were launched by a Tsyklon-3 launch vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on 13 July 1992, and were designated Gonets-D. The first operational satellites, designated Gonets-D1, were launched on 19 February 1996. After launch, the first three satellites were given military Kosmos designations, a practice which was not continued with the other satellites.

Ten operational satellites and two demonstration spacecraft have been placed in orbit. A further three were lost in a launch failure on 27 December 2000. A new series of modernised Gonets satellites, Gonets-D1M, supplement and replace the satellites which are currently in orbit. A single first D1M satellite was launched by a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle on 21 December 2005. A second Gonets-D1M satellite was launched by a Rokot launch vehicle on 8 September 2010.

Operator Gonets satellites are operated along with the third generation Luch satellites by Gonets Satellite System company. Gonets was originally a Roscosmos programme, but in 1996 it was privatised and operated by Gonets Satellite System, which was controlled by ISS Reshetnev. In 2017, Roscosmos acquired 80% of Gonets SatCom from ISS Reshetnev. The remaining 20% were held by Dauria Satcom. By 2018, Dauria Satcom sold the shares to Business-Sfera of Coalco group while Roscosmos sold 29% to other private investors. Gonets SatCom has become a Russian space industry company with the largest (49%) share of private capital.

User characteristics , the Gonets orbit group comprises 25 second-generation spacecraft "Gonets-M" and 1 first-generation "Gonets-D1". The orbital group performs the task of direct communication with subscribers at any point of the globe. With such a number of spacecraft in the Gonets orbit group, the system provides communication with waiting time characteristics as indicated in the following table. The next 3 Gonets-M satellites will be launched in 2022 by an Angara-1.2 launcher from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

+ waiting time characteristics City, location latitude Session probability = 0.9 Waiting time Session probability = 0.8 Waiting time Session probability = 0.7 Waiting time Meru, Kenya 0° 25.04 min 19.98 min 13.54 min Fuli, Vietnam / Vitoria, Brazil 20° / −20° 19.47 min 14.97 min 8.85 min Yerevan, Armenia / Wellington, New Zealand 40° / −40° 17.79 min 12.04 min 6.08 min Belgorod, Russia / Isla Duque de York, Chile 50° / −50° 15.00 min 8.19 min 2.17 min Vyborg, Russia / Orcadas Antarctic Station 60° / −60° 5.64 min 1.78 min 0.00 min Kara Gate Straight, Barents Sea / Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctic 70° / −70° 3.45 min 0.00 min 0.00 min Gall Island, North Arctic Ocean / Antarctic Kunlun Station 80° / −80° 0.00 min 0.00 min 0.00 min North Pole / Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station 90° / −90° 0.00 min 0.00 min 0.00 min

Technical characteristics of subscriber terminals 0.3–0.4 GHz Transmitter power 8–10 W Positioning accuracy by GPS/GLONASS up to 10 m Modulation GMSK Power supply AC 220 V, DC 12 V Weight 100–300 g Bitrates: "Subscriber – Satellite" 2.4–9.6 kbit/s Bitrates: "Satellite – Subscriber" 9.6–76.8 kbit/s

Gonets

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