Yantar (satellite)

Yantar (Russian: Янтарь meaning amber) is a series of Russian (previously Soviet) reconnaissance satellites,^[1] which supplemented and eventually replaced the Zenit spacecraft. Kosmos 2175, a Yantar-4K2 or Kobalt spacecraft, was the first satellite to be launched by the Russian Federation following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Yantar-Terilen was the first real-time digital system. Yantar satellites also formed the basis for the later Orlets, Resurs and Persona satellites.^[2] 179 have been launched, nine of which were lost in launch failures. All Yantar satellites were launched using the Soyuz-U carrier rocket until Kosmos 2480 in 2012 which was announced as the last launch of that rocket from Plesetsk.^[3] Subsequent launches used the modernized Soyuz-2.1a rocket. The last Yantar mission was Kosmos 2505, a Yantar-4K2M or Kobalt-M, launched on 5 June 2015. Reconnaissance missions have been taken over by the Persona class of satellites.^[4]

History

In 1964 Soviet design bureau OKB-1 was tasked with improving on the newly operational Zenit-2 reconnaissance satellites. They had three streams of work: modifying Zenit satellites, a manned reconnaissance craft called Soyuz-R and a new photo reconnaissance satellite based on Soyuz-R. The third stream was codenamed Yantar and initially there were to be two types - Yantar-1 for medium resolution imaging and Yantar-2 for high resolution. In 1967 a new high resolution satellite was proposed called Yantar-2K. Yantar-2K received government support with the first flight originally planned for 1970, although this deadline slipped.^[5]

Variants

Yantar-2K

Yantar-2K differed from Zenit in that it had to stay in orbit for a month unlike Zenit's 8–14 days. It also had 2 film return capsules, something it had in common with the US KH-7 GAMBIT reconnaissance satellite. It had three parts: the aggregate/equipment module (AO - Agregatnyy Otsek), the instrument module (PO - Pribornnyy Otsek) and the special equipment module/special apparatus module (OSA - otsek spetsial'noy apparatury).^[5][6] The special equipment module was the part that returned to earth at the end of the mission, and contained the Zhemchug-4 (pearl) camera. Each section was shaped like a truncated cone which gave the craft a conical shape.^[5] The craft was 6.3m long^[6] (although one source says 8.5m^[5]) with a maximum diameter of 2.7m. It weighed 6.6 tonnes.^[6]

Yantar-4K1

Yantar-4K1 was a modification of the Yantar-2K. It had a better camera, the Zhemchug-18, and was in orbit for 45 days rather than the 30 days of Yantar-2K. Other systems were the same as the Yantar-2K and both types of satellites were launched in the same period.^[5][6] Both satellites were retired in 1984.

Series	Other designations	GRAU index	First launch	Last launch	Number launched	Remarks
Yantar-2K	Feniks (Russian: Феникс meaning phoenix) [7]	11F624	23 May 1974	28 June 1983	30
Yantar-4K1	Oktan (Russian: Октан meaning octane[8]	11F693	27 April 1979	30 November 1983	12
Yantar-1KFT	Kometa (Russian: Комета meaning comet) Siluet (Russian: Силуэт meaning silhouette) [9]	11F660	18 February 1981	2 September 2005	21
Yantar-4K2	Kobalt (Russian: Кобальт meaning cobalt)[10]	11F695	21 August 1981	25 February 2002	82
Yantar-4KS1	Terilen Russian: Терилен meaning terylene)[11]	11F694	28 December 1982	21 December 1990	15
Yantar-4KS1M	Neman Russian: Неман meaning Neman) [12]	17F117	10 July 1991	3 May 2000	9
Yantar-4K2M	Kobalt-M [13][14]	11F695M	24 September 2004	5 June 2015	10

References

1. Wade, Mark. "Yantar". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
2. Johnson, Stephen B. (2006). "The History and Histography of National Security Space" (PDF). NASA.
3. "Russia successfully launches military satellite". Xinhua. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
4. Zak, Anatoly (2012-09-28). "Kobalt-M satellite". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
5. Gorin, Peter (1998). "Black "Amber":Russian Yantar-Class Optical Reconnaissance Satellites". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 51: 309–320.
6. Sorokin, Vladislav. "Fourth generation reconnaissance satellites - Yantar-2K". Novosti Kosmonavtiki. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
7. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-2K (Feniks, 11F624)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
8. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-4K1 (Oktan, 11F693)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
9. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-1KFT (Kometa, Siluet, 11F660)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
10. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-4K2 (Kobalt, 11F695)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
11. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-4KS1 (Terilen, 11F694)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
12. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-4KS1M (Neman, 17F117)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
13. Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-4K2M (Kobalt-M, 11F695M ?)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
14. Podvig, Pavel; Zuang, Hui (2008). Russian and Chinese Responses to US Military Plans in Space (PDF). Cambridge, MA: American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ISBN 0-87724-068-X.