Findings From Russia's Only Space Telescope to Be Released on 2 April - RAS

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Scientific data from the operation of the only Russian space telescope, Spektr-R, with which scientists lost communication in January, will be revealed during a Russian Academy of Sciences' (RAS) Council meeting on April 2, an event announcement sent to Sputnik on Friday said.

"The Spektr-R will be discussed at the meeting of the RAS Council on 2 April", the statement said. The statement also noted that the meeting would start with an introduction by RAS President Alexander Sergeev.

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"Then, director of the RAS Astro Space Center of the Physical Institute Nikolai Kardashev and director of the RAS Space Research Institute (IKI) Anatoly Petrukovich will share the scientific data that they were able to get with the help of the Spektr-R space device", the statement said.

After that, Rashid Syunyaev will present the Spektr-RG telescope program set to launch into space on 21 June.

The Spektr-R telescope was launched into orbit in 2011 to study black holes, neutron stars and the Earth's magnetic field, among other things. On 2 January, the telescope stopped responding to the spacecraft's control command, although continued to transmit scientific data.

After 2030, Russia will reportedly launch a a new space telescope called Spektr-M, which will continue the work that Sperktr-R previously carried out. Before this, however, ground telescopes will fulfill Spektr-R's functions.

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