MOLNIYA 3-53 is a two-ton Russian military communications spacecraft that was launched into a highly elliptical orbit by a Molniya-M rocket from Plesetsk at 20:00 UT on 2003 June 19. It will be the last in the Molniya 3 series. Initial orbital parameters were period 732.7 min, apogee 40,457 km, perigee 629 km, and inclination 62.8 degrees.
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 2003-06-19
Launch Vehicle: Molniya-M
Launch Site: Plesetsk, Russia