Kosmos 606

Summary

Kosmos 606 (Russian: Космос 606 or Cosmos 606) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1973 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 606
Mission typeEarly warning
COSPAR ID1973-084A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.6916
Mission duration4 years [1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeUS-K[2]
Launch mass1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date2 November 1973, 13:01 (1973-11-02UTC13:01Z) UTC
RocketMolniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch sitePlesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
End of mission
Deactivated30 April 1974[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeMolniya [2]
Perigee altitude658 kilometres (409 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude39,687 kilometres (24,660 mi)[4]
Inclination62.7 degrees[4]
Period717.60 minutes[4]
 

Launch edit

Kosmos 606 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 13:01 UTC on 2 November 1973.[3]

Orbit edit

The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1973-084A .[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 6916.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  3. ^ a b c McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.