| Names | Бион-М |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Biological research |
| Operator | Institute of Biomedical Problems Russian Academy of Sciences |
| Mission duration | 6 months (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Bion-M No.2 |
| Spacecraft type | Bion |
| Bus | Zenit (bus) Yantar (propulsion) [1] |
| Manufacturer | TsSKB Progress |
| Launch mass | 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NLT 31 August 2024 (planned)[2] |
| Rocket | Soyuz 2.1b |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 31/6 |
| Contractor | Progress Rocket Space Centre |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 1,000 km (620 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,000 km (620 mi) |
Bion-M No.2 (Бион-М) is a planned Russian space mission, part of the Bion-M programme focused on space medicine. The new generation Bion-M continues the Soviet/Russian Bion satellite programme aimed at biological research in space. The most recent spacecraft of the Bion-M series, Bion-M No.1, was launched in 2013. The Bion-M spacecraft are designed to carry biological, physiological and biotechnological experiments to low Earth orbit and return them to Earth at the end of the mission.[3]
The satellite has components from two long-standing Soviet spy satellite families. Bion's landing unit is from the Zenit 2M satellite and the satellite also carries an instrument section developed for the Yantar satellite. The satellite was made by TsSKB Progress of Samara, Russia.[1]
The animal-carrying space capsule will be launched into orbit no later than 31 August 2024, by a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.[2][4]
