Luch

The KM-60 thruster, used by Luch, is a Hall-effect thruster developed by Keldysh Research Center with a thrust of 42 millinewtons.

Slingshot Aerospace has observed Luch satellites maneuvering and stationing near geostationary satellites for many months at a time.

Slingshot Aerospace and the French company Aldoria have monitored Luch satellite activities that operate for the Russian Ministry of Defense and the FSB.

Aldoria analyst Norbert Pouzin has identified a pattern in which Luch satellites have visited the same families of satellites operated by NATO-affiliated operators.

The geostationary satellites targeted by Luch vehicles provide communications, television, and data services to the European Union, the United Kingdom, Africa, and the Middle East.

Yenisei-2 is a GEO satellite with a design lifetime of 15 years that is closely related to Luch but has different internal project numbers.

Luch parked approximately 0.1 degrees away from other satellites, a much closer distance than typical for GEO satellites.

Russia operates two satellites, Luch and Luch-5X, in geostationary orbit that are suspected of eavesdropping on non-Russian commercial communications satellites.

The FSB operates two satellites, Luch and Luch-5X, for space-based COMINT collection.

The Luch and Cosmos inspector satellites have engaged in close-range maneuvers near geostationary assets.

On August 8, 2022, TASS published an article saying the launch of a Luch relay satellite on a Proton-M carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome was scheduled for late November 2022.

Between October 7 and October 22, 2025 the Olimp-K (Luch, NORAD 40258) satellite was raised from geostationary orbit to a graveyard orbit after a period of operations at multiple geostationary locations.