[Satellite TODAY 04-26-11] Russian Space Forces have re-established control of its Geo-IK-2 military satellite after losing contact with the spacecraft in February, Russian Defense Ministry officials announced April 25.
     The officials said the Russian Space Agency has already received telemetric information from the satellite and that it has resumed collecting and analyzing data.
Geo-IK-2 was designed to help the Russian military draw 3-D maps of the Earth in order to locate the positions of various targets. The satellite’s launch on a Rokot SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile-based rocket, which was delayed from December due to technical malfunctions, placed Geo-IK-2 in a different orbit than the one planned for the mission. Russian military officials said ground control located the orbit the satellite entered and established contact shortly after.
    Russia switched on two reserve Glonass-M satellites in order to compensate for the ones that were lost. Russian space agency Roscosmos plans to launch another three Glonass-M satellites on a Proton heavy carrier rocket later this year.