Wow, this one is big!
And yes, launch was scheduled for 2008, but there was a general meeting last month (ref. laspace.ru) and looks like they are on track for launch this year! And they will use a Zenit rocket this time.
QUOTE
Main scientific goal of the mission is the study of various astronomical objects with unprecedented angular resolution up to few millionth of an arcsecond. The resolution achieved with RadioAstron will allow us in principle to study the following phenomena and problems:
* central engine of AGN and physical processes near super massive black holes providing an acceleration of cosmic rays - size, velocity and shape of emitting region in the core, spectrum, polarization and variability of emitting components;
* cosmological models, dark matter and dark energy - by studying dependence of above mentioned AGN's parameters with redshift, and by observing gravitational lensing;
* structure and dynamics of star and planets forming regions in our Galaxy and in AGN - by studying maser and Mega maser radio emission;
* neutron (quark?) stars and black holes in our Galaxy, their structure and dynamics - by VLBI and measurements of visibility scintillations, proper motions and parallaxes;
* structure and distribution of interstellar and interplanetary plasma - by fringe visibility scintillations of pulsars;
* building of high accuracy astronomical reference system of coordinates;
* building of high accuracy model of the Earth gravity field.
* central engine of AGN and physical processes near super massive black holes providing an acceleration of cosmic rays - size, velocity and shape of emitting region in the core, spectrum, polarization and variability of emitting components;
* cosmological models, dark matter and dark energy - by studying dependence of above mentioned AGN's parameters with redshift, and by observing gravitational lensing;
* structure and dynamics of star and planets forming regions in our Galaxy and in AGN - by studying maser and Mega maser radio emission;
* neutron (quark?) stars and black holes in our Galaxy, their structure and dynamics - by VLBI and measurements of visibility scintillations, proper motions and parallaxes;
* structure and distribution of interstellar and interplanetary plasma - by fringe visibility scintillations of pulsars;
* building of high accuracy astronomical reference system of coordinates;
* building of high accuracy model of the Earth gravity field.
I say... WOW! WOW!
Curious as to why they're gonna put it in HEO instead of out at a Lagrange point (solar or lunar), though; seems like you'd get a better & obviously much more constant VLBI separation. Is this just because of booster constraints?
