The KAUR ( Russian: , Universal Spacecraft Series) was a very successful

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus-d ...

designed and manufactured by

ISS Reshetnev JSC Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev (russian: Информационные спутниковые системы имени академика М. Ф. Решетнёва, Informatsionnye sputnikovye systemy imeny akademika M. F. Reshetnyov ...

(then NPO PM). It is a pressurized bus originally developed in the 1960s, it has been used from

low Earth Orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

medium Earth orbit A medium Earth orbit (MEO) is an geocentric orbit, Earth-centered orbit with an altitude above a low Earth orbit (LEO) and below a high Earth orbit (HEO) – between above sea level.

and even to

GEO Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”. GEO or Geo may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazine ...

. It has four different generations and its different versions have been used from civilian communications to

satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

Generations

KAUR-1

The KAUR-1 was a pressurised cylinder with a diameter of 2 m, length of 3 m and weighed 800 kg. It had no propulsion system, and instead used a passive single-axis magneto-gravity stabilisation system. First generation of the bus, used on: *

Tsyklon The Tsyklon (Циклон, "Cyclone", also known as Tsiklon), GRAU index 11K67, was a Soviet-designed expendable launch system, primarily used to put Cosmos satellites into low Earth orbit. It is based on the R-36 intercontinental ballistic missi ...

* Sfera * Parus *

Tsikada Tsikada (russian: Цикада meaning ''cicada''), was a Soviet satellite navigation system including ten Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. It transmits the same two carrier frequencies as the U.S. TRANSIT satellite system.Bernhard Hofmann-Wellen ...

KAUR-2

The KAUR-2 was designed by

OKB-1 PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (russian: Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya "Energiya" im. S. P. Korolyov ...

(and later Reshetnev Company) for the Molniya satellites. It was originally an experimental bus, but after successful missions, was put into production. The bus had a sealed 2.5 cubic meter internal volume to stabilize the temperature. Its attitude control system could point with a 10° accuracy, and transmitted in the 10 m bands. Its propulsion system was derived from the Venera 1VA probes. It used the KDU-414 propellant system and S5.31 engine from 1960 to 1974, after which it upgraded to the KDU-414A with the S5.114 engine. This had a specific impulse of 290 seconds. * Molniya-1+ * Molniya-1T * Molniya-2 * Molniya-3 * Molniya-3K

KAUR-3

This was developed in the 1960s for the first Russian geosynchronous communications satellites, for repeaters and TV broadcasts. It has a three-axis attitude control system with an accuracy of 0.25°, and independently tracking solar panels.· As part of the development, in July 1974 a Proton DM rocket put a Molniya-1 into geosynchronous orbit as a test communications methods. * Raduga * Ekran * Ekran-M * Gorizont *

Globus Globus is Latin for ''sphere'' or ''globe''. It may also refer to: Business * Globus Medical, a medical device company in Audubon, PA * Globus (clothing retailer), an Indian clothing retail store * Globus (company), a Swiss department store chai ...

KAUR-4

The KAUR-4 was designed for Russian geosynchronous satellites in the 1980s. It reached flight status in the 1990s. * Potok * Tselina * Luch * Gals (Ekspress) * Ekspress-A * Ekspress-AM * SESAT-1

Ekspress

While not presented as such, the Ekspress satellite bus can be considered at least its replacement. It is an unpressurized bus originally designed for

, but that has been adapted for

and to highly elliptical orbit.

References

External links

ISS Reshetnev
Satellite buses Communications satellites Satellites of Russia Satellites of the Soviet Union {{Russia-spacecraft-stub