Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Angara-A5 booster.
Credit: Roscosmos

Update: This object is expected to decay around Wed, 05/01/2022 10:09:00 +/- 7 hours UTC (these predictions are provided by Joseph Remis) via Satflare.com. 

Russia’s next-generation Angara-A5 rocket flew from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, launched by the Russian space forces on December 27. This was the third launch of the booster; the earlier two in 2014 and 2020.

However, while the launch was successful, ditched in low Earth orbit was a multi-ton dummy payload. The flight test of Persei — a Block DM-03 upper stage variant for Angara – failed to restart for a second burn, resulting in the dummy payload now stranded in a decaying orbit.

According to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, the Persei upper stage payload combo is expected to reenter in weeks.

The Persei stage is a modernized version of a unit originally meant for the Proton-M carrier rocket and was developed by RSC Energia. The Angara booster is  a product of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center.

Cataloged by the U.S. NORAD as object 50505, according to one satellite tracking group – Satflare.com – the errant object is expected to decay around Friday, January 7, 2022 at 21:29:00 +/- 52 hours UTC according to predictions provided by Joseph Remis. (see update, top of story).

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