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Spektr-R (or RadioAstron) is a Russian orbital radio telescope, and is the largest space telescope in orbit. It was launched on 18 July 2011.
The main scientific goal of the mission is the study of astronomical objects with an angular resolution up to a few millionths of an arc second. This is accomplished by using the satellite in conjunction with ground-based observatories and interferometry techniques.
Spektr-R is one of the instruments in the RadioAstron program, an international network of observatories led by the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute.
The telescope is intended for radio-astrophysical observations of extragalactic objects with ultra-high resolution, as well as researching of characteristics of near-Earth and interplanetary plasma. The very high angular resolving power will be achieved when used in conjunction with a ground-based system of radio-telescopes and interferometrical methods, operating at wavelengths of 1.35–6.0, 18.0 and 92.0 cm.[8] Once in space, the flower-like main dish was to open its 27 'petals' within 30 minutes.
