Proton (Russian: протон) ('proton') was a Soviet series of four cosmic ray and elementary particle detecting satellites. Orbited 1965–68, three on test flights of the UR-500 ICBM and one on a Proton-K rocket, all four satellites completed their missions successfully, the last reentering the Earth's atmosphere in 1969.
Mission type | Astronomy |
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Operator | Soviet Union |
COSPAR ID |
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Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | OKB-52 |
Launch mass |
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Start of mission | |
Launch date |
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Rocket | UR-500 (1–3), Proton-K (4) |
Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23 (1–3), Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24 (4) |
End of mission | |
Disposal | De-orbited |
Decay date |
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Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Eccentricity | .030 (1–3), .017 (4) |
Perigee altitude |
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Apogee altitude | |
Inclination | 63.5° (1–3), 31.5° (4) |
Period | ~92 minutes (1–4) |
The Proton satellites were heavy automated laboratories launched 1965–68 to study high energy particles and cosmic rays.[5] These satellites were built to utilize the test launches of the UR-500, a heavy two-stage ICBM designed by Vladimir Chelomey's OKB-52 to carry a 100-megaton nuclear payload. Each Proton was housed in a purpose-built third stage added to the UR-500 stack.[6]
Protons 1–3 were largely identical craft massing 12,200 kg (26,900 lb), with scientific packages developed under the supervision of Academician Sergey Nikolayevich Vernov of Moscow State University's Scientific-Research Institute of Nuclear Physics.[6] Experiments included a gamma-ray telescope, a scintillator telescope, and proportional counters.[7] The counters were able to determine the total energy of each super-high energy cosmic particle individually, a capability no prior satellite had possessed. Though the equipment had been developed eight years earlier (by Professor N. L. Grigorov), the UR-500 was the first booster powerful enough to orbit a satellite carrying the sensitive particle counter.[8] The counters could measure cosmic rays with energy levels up to 100 million eV.[9]
Proton 3 also was equipped with a gas-Cerenkov-scintillator telescope[10] to attempt to detect the newly postulated fundamental particle, the quark. The entire experiment package massed 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) and was composed of metal, plastic, and paraffin blocks.[9]
Telemetry was relayed via a 19.910 MHz beacon. Four solar panels powered the crafts, which were cooled by heat exchangers. The Protons were spin-stabilized, their attitude controlled by jet and an on-board dampener. Satellite systems were controlled by an internal computer.[7]
Proton 4 was considerably more massive at 17,000 kg (37,000 lb). Its primary instrument was an ionization calorimeter composed of steel bars and plastic scintillators. A measuring device comprising one lump of carbon and another of polyethylene[9] provided data on cosmic rays and the energy spectrum in orbit, the possible collisions of cosmic ray particles with atmospheric nuclei of hydrogen, carbon, and iron, and continued the search for the quark.[4]
Proton 1 was launched into Earth orbit 16 July 1965 11:16 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23,[11] though the launch was threatened by a leak in the oxidizer pipeline resulting in nitrogen tetroxide spilling on electrical wires. Early in the flight, launch specialists only received signals indicating that the satellite was functioning. Eventually, however, Proton 1 performed normally, returning physics data on ultra-high-energy cosmic particles. Its mission lasted 45 days,[5] and the satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere 11 October 1965.[12]
The virtually identical Proton 2 was launched 2 November 1965 12:28 UTC, also from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23.[11] It reentered Earth's atmosphere on 6 February 1966.[12] At the time of their launch, American experts believed the first Protons were experimental space station components due to their weight and the Soviet use of the word "station" in describing the observatory satellites.[13][14]
After an unsuccessful launch of the third test UR-500 on 24 March 1966 14:39 UTC, Proton 3 was successfully launched into Earth orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23 on 6 July 1966 12:57 UTC[11] on the fourth and final UR-500 test flight[5] and began searching for quarks and other elementary particles of fractional electron charge.[9] The satellite returned data for most, if not all, of its short time in orbit,[16] reentering Earth's atmosphere on 16 September 1966.[12] Shortly before reentry, Proton 3 was observed tumbling once per second over the Indian Ocean by the crew of Gemini 11.[17]
After the end of the run of UR-500 test launches, the rocket (now designated Proton) and its successors were largely employed in the launch of the Zond lunar spacecraft. However, on 16 November 1968 11:40 UTC, the final and much larger Proton 4 was launched into orbit via Proton-K rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24 to continue the search for the quark and supplement the earlier Proton satellites' cosmic ray measurements.[9] This final Proton reentered Earth's atmosphere on 24 July 1969.[12]
The Proton satellites were heralded by Soviet media as the start of a new stage in Soviet space exploration.[18] The success of Proton afforded Chelomey a status in the Soviet rocket industry equal to that of Sergei Korolev of OKB-1 (developer of Sputnik, Vostok, and Voskhod) and Mikhail Yangel of OKB-456 (an important designer of military missiles). The UR-500, originally named "Gerkules" (Russian: Геркулес) ('Hercules'), was renamed "Proton" when news reports conflated the launcher and its payload. Though the Proton was never used in the ICBM role it had been built for, the rocket became an extraordinarily successful booster for commercial satellites, serving well into the 1990s.[18]
← 1964 · Orbital launches in 1965 · 1966 → | |
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Kosmos 52 | OPS 3928 | OPS 7040 | OV1-1 | TIROS-9 | OPS 4703 | Kosmos 53 | OSO-2 | LES-1 | DS-P1-Yu No.2 | Apollo AS-103 · Pegasus 1 | Ranger 8 | DS-A1 No.6 | Kosmos 54 · Kosmos 55 · Kosmos 56 | Kosmos 57 | OPS 4782 | Kosmos 58 | Surveyor SD-1 | Kosmos 59 | NRL PL142 · GGSE-2 · GGSE-3 · SECOR 3 · Solrad 7B · Surcal 4 · Dodecapole 1 · OSCAR 3 | OPS 7087 · SECOR 2 | Kosmos 60 | OPS 4920 | Kosmos 61 · Kosmos 62 · Kosmos 63 | OPS 7353 | Voskhod 2 | Ranger 9 | Gemini III | Kosmos 64 | OPS 4803 | OPS 4682 · SECOR 4 | Intelsat I F1 | Luna E-6 No.8 | Kosmos 65 | Molniya 1-01 | OPS 4983 · OPS 6717 | Explorer 27 | OPS 5023 | LES-2 · LCS-1 | Kosmos 66 | Luna 5 | OPS 8431 | OPS 8386 | Apollo AS-104 · Pegasus 2 | Kosmos 67 | OPS 5236 | OV1-3 | Explorer 28 | Gemini IV | Luna 6 | OPS 8425 | Kosmos 68 | Titan 3C-7 | OPS 8480 | Kosmos 69 | OPS 5501 · OPS 6749 | TIROS-10 | Kosmos 70 | OPS 5810 | Zenit-2 No.28 | Kosmos 71 · Kosmos 72 · Kosmos 73 · Kosmos 74 · Kosmos 75 | Proton 1 | OPS 8411 | Zond 3 | OPS 5543 | OPS 6577 · OPS 6564 · ERS-17 | Kosmos 76 | Apollo AS-105 · Pegasus 3 | Kosmos 77 | OPS 5698 · OPS 6761 | SEV · SECOR 5 | Surveyor SD-2 | OPS 8464 · Dodecapole 2 · Tempsat-1 · Long Rod · Calsphere 4A · Surcal 5 | Kosmos 78 | OPS 7208 | Gemini V (REP) | Kosmos 79 | OSO-C | OPS 3373 | Kosmos 80 · Kosmos 81 · Kosmos 82 · Kosmos 83 · Kosmos 84 | Kosmos 85 | OPS 8068 | Kosmos 86 · Kosmos 87 · Kosmos 88 · Kosmos 89 · Kosmos 90 | OPS 7221 | Kosmos 91 | OPS 7208 | Luna 7 | OV1-2 | OPS 5325 | OGO-2 | Molniya 1-02 | OV2-1 · LCS-2 | Kosmos 92 | Kosmos 93 | GATV 5002 | Kosmos 94 | OPS 2155 | Proton 2 | Kosmos 95 | Explorer 29 | OPS 8293 · OPS 6232 | Venera 2 | Venera 3 | Solrad 8 | Kosmos 96 | Kosmos 97 | Astérix | Kosmos 98 | Alouette 2 · Explorer 31 | Luna 8 | Gemini VII | FR-1 | OPS 7249 | Kosmos 99 | Gemini VIA | Pioneer 6 | Kosmos 100 | Kosmos 101 | OV2-3 · LES-3 · LES-4 · OSCAR 4 | OPS 1509 | OPS 4639 | Kosmos 102 | Kosmos 103 | DS-K-40 No.1 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. |
← 1965 · Orbital launches in 1966 · 1967 → | |
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Kosmos 104 | OPS 2394 | OPS 7253 · OPS 3179 | Kosmos 105 | Kosmos 106 | OPS 1593 | Luna 9 | OPS 7291 | ESSA-1 | OPS 1439 | Kosmos 107 | Kosmos 108 | OPS 1184 · OPS 3011 · OPS 3031 | Dipason | Kosmos 109 | DS-K-40 No.2 | Kosmos 110 | ESSA-2 | Kosmos 111 | OPS 3488 | GATV-5003 | Gemini VIII | Kosmos 112 | OPS 0879 · OPS 0974 | Kosmos 113 | N-4 No.3 | OPS 1117 | Molniya-1 No.5 | OV1-4 · OV1-5 | OPS 0340 | Luna 10 | Kosmos 114 | OPS 1612 | Surveyor SD-3 | OAO-1 | OPS 0910 | Kosmos 115 | OV3-1 | Molniya 1-03 | Kosmos 116 | OPS 1508 | Kosmos 117 | Kosmos 118 | OPS 1950 · OPS 6785 | Nimbus 2 | Zenit-4 | GATV-5004 | OPS 0082 | OPS 1788 | Kosmos 119 | Explorer 32 | Surveyor 1 | ATDA | Gemini IX-A | OPS 1577 · OPS 1856 | OGO-3 | Kosmos 120 | OV3-4 | FTV-1351 · Secor 6 · ERS-16 | OPS 9311 · OPS 9312 · OPS 9313 · OPS 9314 · OPS 9315 · OPS 9316 · OPS 9317 · GGTS | Kosmos 121 | OPS 1599 | PAGEOS | Kosmos 122 | Explorer 33 | AS-203 | Proton 3 | Kosmos 123 | OPS 1850 | OV1-7 · OV1-8 | Kosmos 124 | GATV-5005 | Gemini X | Kosmos 125 | Kosmos 126 | OPS 3014 | OV3-3 | Kosmos 127 | OPS 1545 | Lunar Orbiter 1 | OPS 1832 · OPS 6810 | Pioneer 7 | OPS 2366 | FTV-1352 · Secor 7 · ERS-15 | Luna 11 | IDSCP 1 · IDSCP 2 · IDSCP 3 · IDSCP 4 · IDSCP 5 · IDSCP 6 · IDSCP 7 · GGTS | Kosmos 128 | GATV-5006 | Gemini XI | OPS 6026 | OPS 1686 · OPS 6874 | Zenit-2 No.40 | OPS 6026 | OPS 1686 · OPS 6874 | OGCh No.05L | Surveyor 2 | OPS 1703 | Ōsumi 1 | OPS 4096 | ESSA-3 | FTV-1583 · Secor 8 | OPS 2055 · OPS 5345 | Kosmos 129 | Molniya 1-04 | Kosmos 130 | Luna 12 | Surveyor SM-3 | Intelsat II F-1 | OV3-2 | OGCh No.06L | OPS 2070 · OPS 5424 | OPS 0855 · OV4-1R · OV4-1T · OV1-6 | Lunar Orbiter 2 | OPS 1866 | GATV-5001A | Gemini XII | Kosmos 131 | Strela-2 No.1 | Kosmos 132 | Kosmos 133 | Kosmos 134 | OPS 1890 | ATS-1 | OV1-9 · OV1-10 | Kosmos 135 | Soyuz 7K-OK No.1 | OPS 8968 | Biosatellite 1 | Kosmos 136 | Ōsumi 2 | Kosmos 137 | Luna 13 | OPS 1584 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. |
← 1967 · Orbital launches in 1968 · 1969 → | |
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Surveyor 7 | Explorer 36 | Kosmos 199 | OPS 1965 | OPS 5028 | Kosmos 200 | Apollo 5 | OPS 2243 · OPS 6236 | Kosmos 201 | E-6LS No.112 | Kosmos 202 | Kosmos 203 | OPS 7034 | Zond 4 | OGO-5 | Kosmos 204 | Kosmos 205 | Explorer 37 | DS-U1-Ya No.1 | OPS 5057 | Kosmos 206 | OPS 4849 · OPS 7076 | Kosmos 207 | Kosmos 208 | Kosmos 209 | Kosmos 210 | Apollo 6 | OV1-13 · OV1-14 | Luna 14 | Kosmos 211 | Kosmos 212 | Kosmos 213 | OPS 5165 | Kosmos 214 | Kosmos 215 | Kosmos 216 | Molniya-1 No.10 | 7K-L1 No.7L | Kosmos 217 | Kosmos 218 | Kosmos 219 | OPS 1419 | Kosmos 220 | ESRO-2B | Nimbus B · SECOR 10 | OPS 7869 | Kosmos 221 | Kosmos 222 | Kosmos 223 | Kosmos 224 | Sfera No.12L | OPS 5138 | Kosmos 225 | Kosmos 226 | IDCSP 20 · IDCSP 21 · IDCSP 22 · IDCSP 23 · IDCSP 24 · IDCSP 25 · IDCSP 26 · IDCSP 27 | Strela-2 No.3 | Kosmos 227 | OPS 5343 · OPS 5259 | Kosmos 228 | Kosmos 229 | Explorer 38 | Kosmos 230 | Molniya-1 No.13 | Kosmos 231 | OV1-15 · OV1-16 | Kosmos 232 | Kosmos 233 | Kosmos 234 | OPS 2222 | OPS 5187 | OPS 5955 | Explorer 39 · Explorer 40 | Kosmos 235 | ATS-4 | ESSA-7 | Orbiscal 1 · OV5-8 · Gridsphere 1 · Gridsphere 2 · Gridsphere B · Gridsphere R · LCS-3 · LIDOS · SECOR 11 · SECOR 12 · Radcat · P68-1 | Kosmos 236 | Kosmos 237 | Kosmos 238 | Kosmos 239 | OPS 5247 | Kosmos 240 | Zond 5 | Kosmos 241 | OPS 0165 · OPS 8595 | Intelsat III F-1 | Kosmos 242 | Kosmos 243 | LES-6 · OV2-5 · ERS-21 · ERS-28 | Kosmos 244 | Kosmos 245 | ESRO-1A | Molniya-1 No.14 | OPS 0964 | Kosmos 246 | Kosmos 247 | Apollo 7 | Kosmos 248 | Kosmos 249 | OPS 4078 | Soyuz 2 | Soyuz 3 | Kosmos 250 | Kosmos 251 | Kosmos 252 | OPS 1315 | OPS 5296 | Pioneer 9 · ERS-31 | Zond 6 | Kosmos 253 | Proton 4 | Kosmos 254 | Kosmos 255 | STV-1 | Kosmos 256 | Kosmos 257 | OPS 6518 | HEOS-1 | OAO-2 | Kosmos 258 | OPS 4740 · OPS 7684 | Kosmos 259 | ESSA-8 | Kosmos 260 | Intelsat III F-2 | Kosmos 261 | Apollo 8 | Kosmos 262 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. |