Russian Scientists Just Launched A Controversial "Artificial Star" That Might Anger Astronomers
A Russian Soyuz rocket has successfully launched a controversial satellite into orbit, which will become one of our brightest stars in a few days – and may hamper astronomical observations.
The satellite is called Mayak, developed by Moscow State Mechanical Engineering University (MAMI) and funded with $30,000 through Russian crowdfunding website Boomstarter. We first learned about it back in early 2016, and on Friday, July 14, it launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome along with 72 other satellites.
“The satellite launch was good, and we are waiting for NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] to track it,” Oksana Klichnikova from Mayak told IFLScience. “Roscosmos reported that everything was as planned, without any additional info.”
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