Kosmos 862
Kosmos 862 (Russian: Космос 862 meaning Cosmos 862) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1976 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2]
| Mission type | Early warning |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1976-105A |
| SATCAT no. | 9495 |
| 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 | 22 October 1976, 09:12 UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-M/2BL[2] |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3] |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 15 March 1977[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Molniya [2] |
| Perigee altitude | 612 kilometres (380 mi)[4] |
| Apogee altitude | 39,763 kilometres (24,708 mi)[4] |
| Inclination | 62.9 degrees[4] |
| Period | 718.21 minutes[4] |
Launch
Kosmos 862 was launched from Site 43/4 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 09:12 UTC on 22 October 1976.[3]
Orbit
The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1976-105A.[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 9495.[4]
The satellite self-destructed on March 15, 1977, breaking into 13 pieces of which several are still on orbit.[1][5]
See also
References
- Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (PDF). Science and Global Security. 10 (1): 21–60. Bibcode:2002S&GS...10...21P. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.6127. doi:10.1080/08929880212328. ISSN 0892-9882. S2CID 122901563. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-15.
- "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- Anz-Meador, Phillip (December 2022). History of On-orbit Satellite Fragmentations (PDF) (16th ed.). p. 25. Retrieved 10 May 2023.