Cosmos 2240

Launch data:

Decay

Mission details:

• 4th generation Russian reconnaissance satellites.
• It appears that, unlike all earlier Soviet imaging reconnaissance satellites, they do not use the 1959-vintage Vostok satellite bus, although they are probably still made by the same company, the TsSKB (Central Specialized Design Bureau), formerly a subdivision of NPO Energiya. They were introduced in 1975, and originally had a lifetime of 30 days which was a big improvement on the Vostok satellites, at that time limited to 15 day missions. Later minor improvements increased the lifetime, first to 44 days and then, in 1984, to 59 days. The two flights so far this year [1993] show a further improvement, lasting 65 and 66 days. This modest increase is nevertheless significant as the first sign of an upgrade to this satellite class in a decade. By my count [Jonathan McDowell speaking], Kosmos-2240 is the 107th in the series, although the classification of several flights is controversial.
• Cosmos 2240 was recovered Jun 07, 1993 approximately matching the longer-than-normal lifetime of Cosmos 2231.