On February 28, 2021 at 06:55 UTC the Russian "Soyuz-2.1b” rocket-carrier equipped with the "Fregat-M” booster (upper stage) was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The rocket orbited the «Arktika-M” number 1 satellite. The “Arktika-M” is the first of a new line of satellites designed to provide persistent weather data on Russian Arctic, home to economically lucrative natural resources, energy reserves, and an important region for Russian military operations. The Arktika-M satellites are built by NPO Lavochkin, the same Russian company that builds Fregat upper stages.