Engineering:Kosmos 1191

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Kosmos 1191
Mission typeEarly warning
COSPAR ID1980-057A
SATCAT no.11871
Mission duration4 years [1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeUS-K[2]
Launch mass1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date2 July 1980, 00:54 (1980-07-02UTC00:54Z) UTC
RocketMolniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch sitePlesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
End of mission
Deactivated16 May 1981[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeMolniya [2]
Perigee altitude640 kilometres (400 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude39,705 kilometres (24,672 mi)[4]
Inclination62.6 degrees[4]
Period717.60 minutes[4]
 

Kosmos 1191 (Russian: Космос 1191 meaning Cosmos 1191) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1980 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2]

Kosmos 1191 was launched from Site 41/1 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 00:54 UTC on 2 July 1980.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1980-057A.[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 11871.[4]

Kosmos 1191 was a US-K satellite like Kosmos 862 that self-destructed in orbit, NASA believes deliberately. The first debris elements were spotted on 25 May 1981. All of the resultant debris is still in orbit.[5]

See also

References