Kosmos 1974

Kosmos 1974 (Russian: Космос 1974 meaning Cosmos 1974) is a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1988 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 1974

Mission type	Early warning
COSPAR ID	1988-092A
SATCAT no.	19554
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	3 October 1988, 22:23 UTC
Rocket	Molniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Molniya [2]
Perigee altitude	600 kilometres (370 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude	39,772 kilometres (24,713 mi)[4]
Inclination	62.9 degrees[4]
Period	718.15 minutes[4]

Kosmos 1974 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 22:23 UTC on 3 October 1988.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1988-092A.[3] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 19554.[3]

See also

• List of Kosmos satellites (1751–2000)
• List of R-7 launches (1985–1989)
• 1988 in spaceflight
• List of Oko satellites

References

1. Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (PDF). Science and Global Security. 10: 21–60. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.6127. doi:10.1080/08929880212328. ISSN 0892-9882. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-15.
2. "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
3. "Cosmos 1974". National Space Science Data Centre. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.