Foton (satellite)

Foton (or Photon) is the project name of two series of Russian science satellite and reentry vehicle programs.

Starting with the Foton-7 mission, the European Space Agency has been a partner in the Foton program.

[1] Foton-M is a new generation of Russian robotic spacecraft for research conducted in the microgravity environment of Earth orbit.

The Foton-M design is based on the design of the Foton, with several improvements including a new telemetry and telecommand unit for increased data flow rate, increased battery capacity, and a better thermal control system.

[2] Foton-M3 was launched on 14 September 2007, carried by a Soyuz-U rocket lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan[3] with Nadezhda, a cockroach that conceived in space and produced 33 offspring after the spacecraft returned successfully to Earth on 26 September 2007, landing in Kazakhstan at 7:58 GMT.