cosmos.wikisort.org - Spacecraft

Kosmos 1903 (Russian: Космос 1903 meaning Cosmos 1903) is a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1987 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2]

Kosmos 1903

Mission type	Early warning
COSPAR ID	1987-105A
SATCAT no.	18701
Mission duration	4 years [1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	US-K[2]
Launch mass	1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)[3]
Start of mission
Launch date	21 December 1987, 22:35 (1987-12-21UTC22:35Z) UTC
Rocket	Molniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Molniya [2]
Perigee altitude	605 kilometres (376 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude	39,746 kilometres (24,697 mi)[4]
Inclination	63.0 degrees[4]
Period	717.72 minutes[4]

Kosmos 1903 was launched from Site 41/1 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian SSR.[5] A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 22:35 UTC on 21 December 1987.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1987-105A.[3] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 18701.[3]

See also

• List of Kosmos satellites (1751–2000)
• List of R-7 launches (1985–1989)
• 1987 in spaceflight
• List of Oko satellites

References

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