Kosmos 1851

Kosmos 1851 (Russian: Космос 1851 meaning Cosmos 1851) 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 1851

Mission type	Early warning
COSPAR ID	1987-050A
SATCAT no.	18103
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	12 June 1987, 07:40 UTC
Rocket	Molniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Molniya [2]
Perigee altitude	620 kilometres (390 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude	39,738 kilometres (24,692 mi)[4]
Inclination	62.8 degrees[4]
Period	717.84 minutes[4]

Kosmos 1851 was launched from Site 43/4 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 07:40 UTC on 12 June 1987.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1987-050A.[3] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 18103.[3]

See also

• List of Kosmos satellites (1751–2000)
• List of R-7 launches (1985–1989)
• 1987 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 1851". 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.