The Luch-5 are the Russian follow-on relay satellites, which
replace the Luch (Altair) and Luch-2 (Gelios) satellites.
Two satellites named Luch 5A and Luch 5B were procured for launches in 2010 and 2011. The smaller satellites are based on the Ekspress-1000 bus and were be launched with a co-passenger on Proton-M Briz-M boosters.
S- and Ku-band data relay channels of each satellite will be linked with receive/transmit points via satellite communications links.
Each data relay satellite is capable of orienting its high-precision antennas towards low-flying space objects so as to ?catch? and ?track? them along their trajectories. Moreover, each of the two user antennas is capable of tracking its ?own? low-flying space object. One antenna will operate in the Ku-band, the other ? in the S-band, with the Ku-band channel capacity at 150 Mbit/s and the S-band channel capacity at up to 5 Mbit/s.
Luch-5V was ordered to replace the larger Luch 4 satellite, which has been postponed to 2015 and reduced to an experimental satellite.
The Luch-5A and -5V spacecrafts are also intended to receive COSPAS/SARSAT signals in the P-band and relay them in the L-band to the ground data receiving points. In addition, both will allow collection and transmission of the Planet-S System hydrometeorological data.
In 2020, Luch 5VM was ordered to be launched not later than 2024 to bridge the gap until the Luch 5M satellites become available. It was delayed to 2026.
