Yubileiny

Yubileiny (Russian: Юбиле́йный, lit. Jubilee) is a Russian technology development satellite which was built by NPO PM^[1] to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to be placed into Earth orbit. It launched, 23 May 2008 aboard a Rockot rocket from LC-133 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Launch was delayed from the end of 2007, and from earlier in 2008. It was a secondary payload to a cluster of three Gonets satellites, utilising the excess capacity of the carrier rocket.^[2]

The satellite will broadcast audio and video about the history of the Soviet and Russian space programmes, as well as signals imitating those broadcast by Sputnik 1.^[3] These signals are intended for receipt by Amateur radio enthusiasts. The engine of Yubileiny was desighned and made by Fominskiy Leonid Pavlovich.

In April 2009 Russian news media reported that a 'reactionless engine' had been tested on spacecraft: "Specialists of the Institute for Space Systems conducted successful tests of the perpetual motion machine in space," wrote 'Pravda' in Moscow. "Valery Menshikov, the director of the institute, said that the machine was installed at Yubileiny satellite which was launched into orbit almost a year ago. The satellite can now move from one orbit to another with the help of the engine, which discharges no reaction mass." Menshikov continued, in a claim not verified by any Western space source: "The first tests were conducted in June and July of 2008. The tests revealed some problems that need further developments of the machine, but the orbital experiment was conducted successfully in general."^[4][5]

On the other part, in 2011 notable scientist and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Eduard Kruglyakov wrote that installed engine had not changed satellite's orbit by even a micron.^[6] Some scientists warned that installed 'reactionless engine' is based on a tricky non-linear friction in bearings and cannot work at zero gravity.^[6]

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