Because of adverse weather, the mobile team from the Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Operations Center, a Roscosmos subsidiary, could not promptly start searching for detached parts of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle in the impact zones near the Amur Region. The government agency Interfax reported the situation to the Zeya district administration, which is coordinating the response on the ground.
Search efforts faced additional obstacles: persistent rain and low cloud cover prevented helicopter operations. The district administration noted that visual tracking of the rocket’s side blocks was not feasible under these weather conditions, and only audible confirmations could be relied upon. In light of the forecast, the helicopter is tentatively planned to depart at 08:00 Moscow time, weather permitting, to continue the ground assessment from the air and aid in locating any debris that could be scattered over the terrain.
Earlier, at 00:14 Moscow time, from the Vostochny cosmodrome, the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle, carrying the Fregat upper stage, successfully placed the Kondor-FKA satellite into orbit. Kondor-FKA is designed for radar remote sensing of the Earth under a wide range of weather conditions, providing data that support earth observation and environmental monitoring. Roscosmos confirmed that the satellite reached its intended orbit using the planned deployment method and reported normal operations following launch. A second Kondor-FKA satellite is anticipated to launch in 2024, with the third and fourth satellites slated for deployment by 2029–2030 to enhance the overall radar imaging constellation and improve data continuity for observation tasks across varying atmospheric conditions.