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Kosmos 1408
Kosmos-1408 (Russian: Космос-1408) was an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) satellite operated by the Soviet Union. It was launched into low Earth orbit on 16 September 1982 at 14:55 UTC, replacing Kosmos-1378. It operated for around two years before becoming inactive and left in orbit.
The satellite was destroyed in a Russian anti-satellite weapon test on 15 November 2021, resulting in space debris in orbits between 300 and 1,100 km (190 and 680 mi) above Earth. The threat of potential collision with debris caused the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their escape capsules for the first few passes of the debris cloud, and permanently increased the future risk of a debris collision with the ISS or other satellites.
From 1965 to 1967, the Soviet Yuzhnoye Design Office developed two satellite ELINT systems: Tselina-O for broad observations and Tselina-D for detailed observations. The ELINT payloads (satellites) for Tselina were first tested under the Kosmos designation in 1962–65. The Soviet Ministry of Defence could not convince the different parts of the Soviet military to decide between the two, so both systems were brought into service. The first production Tselina-O was launched in 1970. The Tselina-D took longer to enter service, due to delays with the satellite development and problems with the mass budget. The full Tselina system became operational in 1976. Continued improvements in the satellite systems led to Tselina-O being abandoned in 1984, with all of the capabilities of the two satellite systems being combined into Tselina-D.
Kosmos-1408 was part of the Tselina-D system. It had a mass of around 1,750 kg (3,860 lb), and a radius of around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). It is thought to have replaced Kosmos-1378 in the Tselina system, since it was launched into a similar orbital plane.
Kosmos-1408 was launched on a Tsyklon-3 launch vehicle on 16 September 1982, from Site 32/2, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It was placed in low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 645 km (401 mi), an apogee of 679 km (422 mi), and an inclination of 82.5°. Its orbital period was 97.8 minutes.
The satellite had an expected lifespan of around six months, but it operated for around two years. The satellite could not be de-orbited after finishing operations because it did not have a propulsion system. Its orbit subsequently slowly decayed due to the small natural drag of the thermosphere.
On 15 November 2021, at around 02:50 UTC, the satellite was destroyed as part of an anti-satellite weapons test by Russia. The direct-ascent anti-satellite A-235 "Nudol" anti-ballistic missile was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome at around 02:45 UTC. The system had been undergoing testing since 2014, but this was the first satellite it destroyed. The Outer Space Treaty, which Russia has ratified, bans some types of military activities in space, but not anti-satellite missiles using conventional warheads.
The destruction of the satellite and missile produced a cloud of space debris that threatened the International Space Station. The seven crew members aboard the ISS (four American, two Russian, one German) were told to put on their spacesuits and take shelter in the crew capsules so they could quickly return to Earth if debris struck the station. The satellite had been in orbit at an altitude ~50 kilometers (~30 miles) above the ISS orbital altitude, with the debris intersecting the orbit of the ISS every 93 minutes.
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Kosmos 1408
Kosmos-1408 (Russian: Космос-1408) was an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) satellite operated by the Soviet Union. It was launched into low Earth orbit on 16 September 1982 at 14:55 UTC, replacing Kosmos-1378. It operated for around two years before becoming inactive and left in orbit.
The satellite was destroyed in a Russian anti-satellite weapon test on 15 November 2021, resulting in space debris in orbits between 300 and 1,100 km (190 and 680 mi) above Earth. The threat of potential collision with debris caused the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their escape capsules for the first few passes of the debris cloud, and permanently increased the future risk of a debris collision with the ISS or other satellites.
From 1965 to 1967, the Soviet Yuzhnoye Design Office developed two satellite ELINT systems: Tselina-O for broad observations and Tselina-D for detailed observations. The ELINT payloads (satellites) for Tselina were first tested under the Kosmos designation in 1962–65. The Soviet Ministry of Defence could not convince the different parts of the Soviet military to decide between the two, so both systems were brought into service. The first production Tselina-O was launched in 1970. The Tselina-D took longer to enter service, due to delays with the satellite development and problems with the mass budget. The full Tselina system became operational in 1976. Continued improvements in the satellite systems led to Tselina-O being abandoned in 1984, with all of the capabilities of the two satellite systems being combined into Tselina-D.
Kosmos-1408 was part of the Tselina-D system. It had a mass of around 1,750 kg (3,860 lb), and a radius of around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). It is thought to have replaced Kosmos-1378 in the Tselina system, since it was launched into a similar orbital plane.
Kosmos-1408 was launched on a Tsyklon-3 launch vehicle on 16 September 1982, from Site 32/2, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It was placed in low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 645 km (401 mi), an apogee of 679 km (422 mi), and an inclination of 82.5°. Its orbital period was 97.8 minutes.
The satellite had an expected lifespan of around six months, but it operated for around two years. The satellite could not be de-orbited after finishing operations because it did not have a propulsion system. Its orbit subsequently slowly decayed due to the small natural drag of the thermosphere.
On 15 November 2021, at around 02:50 UTC, the satellite was destroyed as part of an anti-satellite weapons test by Russia. The direct-ascent anti-satellite A-235 "Nudol" anti-ballistic missile was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome at around 02:45 UTC. The system had been undergoing testing since 2014, but this was the first satellite it destroyed. The Outer Space Treaty, which Russia has ratified, bans some types of military activities in space, but not anti-satellite missiles using conventional warheads.
The destruction of the satellite and missile produced a cloud of space debris that threatened the International Space Station. The seven crew members aboard the ISS (four American, two Russian, one German) were told to put on their spacesuits and take shelter in the crew capsules so they could quickly return to Earth if debris struck the station. The satellite had been in orbit at an altitude ~50 kilometers (~30 miles) above the ISS orbital altitude, with the debris intersecting the orbit of the ISS every 93 minutes.