Yubileiny (russian: Юбиле́йный, lit. ''Jubilee'') is an educational Russian satellite built by

NPO PM JSC Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev (russian: Информационные спутниковые системы имени академика М. Ф. Решетнёва, Informatsionnye sputnikovye systemy imeny akademika M. F. Reshetnyov ...

to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of

Sputnik 1 Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

, the first

artificial satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisoto ...

to be placed into Earth orbit. The satellite was launched on 23 May 2008 aboard a

Rokot Rokot (russian: Рокот meaning ''Rumble'' or ''Boom''), also transliterated Rockot, was a Russian space launch vehicle that was capable of launching a payload of into a Earth orbit with 63° inclination. It was based on the UR-100N (SS- ...

class rocket from the LC-133 launch facility at the

Plesetsk Cosmodrome Plesetsk Cosmodrome ( rus, Космодром «Плесецк», r=Kosmodrom "Plesetsk", p=kəsmɐˈdrom plʲɪˈsʲet͡sk) is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200&n ...

, after being delayed since the end of 2007. It was a secondary payload accompanying a cluster of three

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, whic ...

communication satellites, and utilised the excess capacity of the carrier. The satellite mission was to broadcast audio and video about the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and

Russian space program The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...

mes, as well as to imitate the beeping call signals of

. These signals are intended for being receipted by

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

enthusiasts.

Reactionless drive scandal

In April 2009 Russian news media reported that a '

reactionless drive A reactionless drive is a hypothetical device producing motion without the exhaust of a propellant. A propellantless drive is not necessarily reactionless when it constitutes an open system interacting with external fields; but a reactionless ...

' had been tested on the spacecraft. "Specialists of the Institute for Space Systems conducted successful tests of the perpetual motion machine in space," wrote ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the co ...

'' in Moscow. The mentioned Institute for Space Systems was a satellite project contractor and its director Valery Menshikov also headed the funding agency supported the launch. According to media, Valery Menshikov announced that a reactionless "machine was installed in the Yubileiny satellite, which was launched into orbit almost a year ago. The satellite can now move from one orbit to another with the help of the engine, which discharges no reaction mass". Menshikov continued, in a claim not verified by any Western space source: "The first tests were conducted in June and July of 2008. The tests revealed some problems that need further developments of the machine, but the orbital experiment was conducted successfully in general."Russian Scientists Test New Type of Engine for Nano Satellites
Pravda.ru 2010-02-18. The engine was designed and made by Fominskiy Leonid Pavlovich. These pseudo-scientific statements by a highly ranked industry manager resulted in a scandal in Russia. Some scientists warned that the installed ' reactionless engine' is based on a tricky non-linear friction in bearings and cannot work in zero gravity.Kruglyakov, Eduard P. (2011) ''"Совместимы ли мракобесие и инновации?" ('Are Obscurantism and Innovations Compatible?')'' Bulletin 'In Defence of Science' no.9, pp.2-3.
pdf, 253 Kb
) In 2011, the discussion was summed up by notable scientist and member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

, Eduard Kruglyakov, who wrote that the installed engine had not changed the satellite's orbit by even a micron. The

Roscosmos The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...

officials commented that the 'reactionless drive' part was installed initially to keep the mass balance and could not be removed after its actual role had been revealed.

References

{{Radio Sputnik Spacecraft launched in 2008 Satellites of Russia