Kosmos 1661

Kosmos 1661
Mission type Early warning
COSPAR ID 1985-049A
SATCAT № 15827
Mission duration 4 years [1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type US-K [2]
Launch mass 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 18 June 1985, 00:40 (1985-06-18UTC00:40Z) UTC
Rocket Molniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch site Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Molniya [2]
Perigee 615 kilometres (382 mi)[4]
Apogee 39,735 kilometres (24,690 mi)[4]
Inclination 62.9 degrees[4]
Period 717.70 minutes[4]

Kosmos 1661 (Russian: Космос 1661 meaning Cosmos 1661) is a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1985 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2]

Kosmos 1661 was launched from Site 16/2 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian SSR.[3] A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 00:40 UTC on 18 June 1985.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1985-049A.[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 15827.[4]

Podvig says that it moved from its orbital position immediately after launch, and was probably never functional.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (pdf). Science and Global Security 10: 21–60. doi:10.1080/08929880212328. ISSN 0892-9882.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  3. 1 2 3 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.