Luch 5A is one of three Luch relay satellites.
Luch 5B was launched on 2 November 2012 and
Luch 5V was launched on 28 April 2014. They are
dual purpose satellites with both military and civil uses, and are similar to those in the US
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. Luch 5A was built by
JSC Information Satellite Systems using the Ekspress-1000A bus. It has 6
S and
Ku band channels with repeaters manufactured by
Thales Alenia Space and other equipment manufactured by
Sumitomo. The Ku band antenna operates at up to 150
Mbit/s and the S band antenna at up to 5 Mbit/s. The satellite also relays
COSPAS/SARSAT signals and Planet-S System data. The satellite is designed to relay data from the ISS, satellites in low earth orbit and rocket launch vehicles. Luch 5A is located at 167° E. ==Launch==