* Astronomy

Around noon Moscow Time, on July 22, 2011, a poster on the online forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine reported that the crucial operation of the opening of the giant flower-like antenna onboard Spektr-R/Radioastron had began. The slow-motion process was expected to take hours, however around an hour and half later, the official Russian media hurried with reports that the opening had been completed. The official RIA Novosti news agency then quoted the chief designer of the Radioastron project, Vladimir Babyshkin, as saying that the ground control had received the first telemetry confirming that the opening of antenna petals had been underway. Unofficial reports said that the opening had been almost completed, however latches of petals, which would hold the dish in open position, had failed to close requiring to repeat the process. Several following attempts to lock the antenna apparently also failed, unofficial sources said. Flight controllers several times commanded the petals to move slightly toward folding position and then move back into the open position, however a required signal for closing of latches at the tips of petals still did not come. The antenna was finally left in open but unlatched position.
A special meeting at NPO Lavochkin was scheduled for the next morning, around 09:00 Moscow Time, to evaluate the problem.
According to sources, the radio telescope would still be able to conduct its scientific studies despite an unlatched antenna, with some minor deterioration of data.

Source

It will have a highly elliptical orbit of around 340,000km, and an official working life of five years, although its creators hope it may last even longer.
The far-Earth orbit will bring it within 50,000km of the moon, allowing it to use the lunar gravity to change the orbit angle and see more of the sky.
Boasting a 10m diameter antenna that will unfurl from carbon-fibre petals, Spektr-R's creators say that it will be able to produce images with a resolution 100,000 times that of the famed US Hubble Space telescope.
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Russian Observatory Intended to Study the Universe Reaches the Targeted Orbit

Russian astrophysical observatory Spectrum-R has reached the targeted orbit.
The scientific spacecraft successfully separated from the Fregat-SB upper stage at 10.06 a.m. MSK. Spectrum-R was injected into orbit with altitude of about 340 thousand km.
The launch of Zenith-3M rocket with Fregat-SB upper stage and Spectrum-R occurred from Baikonurs pad 45 on July 18, at 6.31 a.m. MSK.
Source

July 18, 0231 UTC -Zenit 3F carrying Spektr R (RadioAstron) Space Radio Telescope