Cosmos 2488

Russia

Spacecraft nº:

Russian spacecraft nº:

Launch data:

Designation	39483 / 13076A
Launch date	25 Dec 2013 - 00:31 UT
Launch site	Plesetsk, LC-133/3
Launch vehicle	Rokot-KM
Mission	Mil. communication
Satellite type	Strela-3M (#7)
Earth orbit:
Perigee / Apogee	1486 x 1517 km
Eccentricity
Inclination	82.5 deg
Period	115.9 min

Launched together with: Cosmos 2489, Cosmos 2490 and Cosmos 2491

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor	NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki (NPO PM)
Platform
Operator	VKS
Mass at launch	225 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime

Description:

Strela-3M (also known as Rodnik-S) is an improved version of the Strela-3 military communications satellites, designed to relay messages between military users posted in remote areas. .

Mission details:

A Rokot launch vehicle took off from Plesetsk early on Dec 25, 2013 carrying three Rodnik low orbit communications satellites for the Russian military into a 1480 x 1509 km x 82.5 deg orbit. The Briz-KM upper stage successfully deployed the satellites and made its depletion burn to an 1150 x 1500 km orbit, in contrast to the previous Rodnik launch in January.

Note:

An unreleased UN registration document from Russia: This document reports that the Dec 2013 Rokot launch, which placed three Rodnik/Strela class communications satellites in orbit as Cosmos-2488/2489/2490, also placed a fourth payload in orbit, Cosmos-2491. This fourth Russian Ministry of Defense payload was not previously announced. It probably corresponds to the object tracked as 2013-076E, SSN 39497, which has a 0.4 sq m radar cross section. Two previous Strela class launches on Rokot have carried small additional Yubilyeniy scientific payloads of similar RCS; it seems likely that the mystery payload is comparable, and may repreresent a Russian military small satellite testbed.

External links:

Satellite tracking:
Real time satellite tracking

Ref.: #7(JR692,697), #228 - update: 02.12.14

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