Russia Schedules Soyuz Rocket Launch from Plesetsk, Imposing Temporary Barents Sea Safety Zones

Vladimir Putin has instructed vessels and aircraft to steer clear of substantial portions of the Barents Sea, which authorities have labelled as areas where Russian missiles will land. These zones are located in international waters of the Barents Sea, near Norway's northern coast, as required for the rocket's payload separation trajectory.

The safety notice extends until April 30 and is connected to a Soyuz-2-1b rocket scheduled to lift off from Plesetsk Cosmodrome around April 23.

During the rocket's ascent, large metallic structures called payload fairings will be released and are projected to tumble back towards Earth, with two components expected to land in the designated maritime zones. Aviation and maritime safety channels have been used to broadcast alerts urging those at sea to avoid the specified areas throughout the restriction window.

The Barents Sea partially falls within Norwegian territorial waters, and the launch is part of Russia's ambition to establish a low-orbit internet constellation.

The launch supports Russia's development of a low-Earth orbit satellite network for internet services, similar to international projects like Starlink.