Historic Soyuz-2.1b Launch from Vostochny Elevates Space Education and Global Collaboration
On Tuesday, June 27, the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket, bearing the Movement of the First emblem and the designation First, successfully lifted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur Region. The mission was reported by the space agency consortium.
The launch set a course to place the Meteor-M hydrometeorological satellite into low Earth orbit, accompanied by more than 40 smaller satellites from Russia and allied nations. Among these are 16 CubeSat devices created under the Space-Pi project, part of the Planet Duty program. The Space-Pi CubeSats involve young teams guided by leading space experts, with participants including groups labeled 7-11 who study Earth using orbital data to draw insights for weather, climate, and environmental monitoring.
Not long ago, under the banner of the First, teams from the Admiral Makarov Naval University and the River Fleet participated in a Sailing Parade on the Youth Day in Petrozavodsk. The First tram operates in Novosibirsk, and now the project embraces a new front as stated by Grigory Gurov, head of the Movement for Children and Youth in Russia, who noted the expansion into space exploration.
From this mission, scientific and educational nano-satellites from nine universities, four private companies, and one school were launched into orbit. Among the notable payloads is the UmKA-1 satellite, developed by students and staff from School No. 29 near Moscow in Podolsk. UmKA-1 is equipped with a high-aperture Leptonar-20955K telescope and a PlayerOne Saturn-C SQR astronomical camera designed to capture celestial objects from Earth’s orbit for educational and research purposes.
Another notable satellite is Akhmat-1, developed with MVAA Kadyrov collaboration from Chechen State University, which includes a module for aircraft location tracking to aid airspace awareness and safety. The Nanosond-1 satellite from Oryol State University completes the group, while DIR-DIR and the Turgenev platform carry aboard what is described as the world’s first open space probe microscope. Built in Zelenograd through MIET and PROTON Factory partnerships, this instrument will observe micro and nano meteorites and dust particles in orbit to assess their potential risk to spacecraft systems.
The ongoing scientific direction of the Movement of the First continues its Open Space initiative, inviting schoolchildren as young as six and university students to participate. Between 2020 and 2022, more than five thousand young people engaged in the program, and nineteen CubeSat projects developed by students have already reached orbital deployment. This broad educational framework demonstrates how space missions can blend hands-on learning with real mission goals, turning classrooms into launch pads for tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. Researchers emphasize the value of early exposure to orbital science, data analysis, and spacecraft operations as catalysts for sustained interest in STEM fields. The collective effort highlights a growing ecosystem where schools, universities, and private partners collaborate on frontier research and practical space applications, bridging education with mission-driven exploration. In this way, the launch serves not only as a technical milestone but also as a catalyst for youth empowerment and international cooperation in space science. Citations: space agency reports and program highlights from collaborating institutions.