Kosmos 2340 (russian: Космос 2340 meaning ''Cosmos 2340'') was a Russian
US-K
Upravlyaemy Sputnik Kontinentalny (russian: Управляемый Спутник Континентальный meaning ''Continental Controllable Satellite'') or US-K (russian: УС-К) is a series of Russian, previously Soviet, satellites used t ...
missile
early warning
An early warning system is a warning system that can be implemented as a Poset, chain of information communication systems and comprises sensors, Detection theory, event detection and decision support system, decision subsystems for early identi ...
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
which was launched in 1997 as part of the
Russian Space Forces
The Russian Space Forces ( rus, Космические войска России, Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) are a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, that provides aerospace warning, air and space sovereignty, and other related protect ...
'
Oko
OKO ( rus, ОКО, r=, literally means eye, also an abbreviation for Ob'yedinonnyye Kristallom Osnovaniya ( rus, Oбъединённые Кристаллом Oснования, r=, literally means Foundations Bound by a Crystal)) is a complex o ...
programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using
optical telescope
An optical telescope is a telescope that gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to collect data through electro ...
s and
infrared sensor
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
s.
Kosmos 2340 was launched from
Site 16/2 at
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome ( rus, Космодром «Плесецк», r=Kosmodrom "Plesetsk", p=kəsmɐˈdrom plʲɪˈsʲet͡sk) is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200&n ...
in Russia.
A
Molniya-M
The Molniya-M (russian: Молния, meaning "lightning"), designation 8K78M, was a Soviet Union (later Russian) launch vehicle derived from the R-7 Semyorka Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The original 8K78 booster had been the ...
carrier rocket with a
2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 08:59 UTC on 9 April 1997.
The launch successfully placed the satellite into a
molniya orbit
A Molniya orbit ( rus, Молния, p=ˈmolnʲɪjə, a=Ru-молния.ogg, "Lightning") is a type of satellite orbit designed to provide communications and remote sensing coverage over high latitudes. It is a highly elliptical orbit with an ...
. It subsequently received its
Kosmos designation, and the
international designator
The International Designator, also known as COSPAR ID, is an international identifier assigned to artificial objects in space. It consists of the launch year, a three-digit incrementing launch number of that year and up to a three-letter code repr ...
1997-015A.
The
United States Space Command
United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and grea ...
assigned it the
Satellite Catalog Number
The Satellite Catalog Number (SATCAT, also known as NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense) Catalog Number, NORAD ID, USSPACECOM object number or simply catalog number, among similar variants) is a sequential nine-digit number assigned by the Un ...
24761.
The satellite (along with
Kosmos 2351
Kosmos 2351 (russian: Космос 2351 meaning ''Cosmos 2351'') was a Russian US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1998 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launc ...
,
Kosmos 2368
Kosmos 2368 (russian: Космос 2368 meaning ''Cosmos 2368'') was a Russian US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1999 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile laun ...
, and
Kosmos 2342) were lost after a 2001 fire destroyed the ground control building located at the
Serpukhov-15
Serpukhov-15 ( rus, Серпухов-15) is a military townlet near Kurilovo in Kaluga Oblast which is the location of the western control centre for Russia's Oko satellites. These give early warning of ballistic missile launches, mainly from the ...
military base resulting in the loss of orbital control.
See also
*
List of Kosmos satellites (2251–2500)
The designation '' Kosmos'' (russian: Космос meaning ''Cosmos'') is a generic name given to a large number of Soviet, and subsequently Russian, satellites, the first of which was launched in 1962. Satellites given Kosmos designations include ...
*
List of R-7 launches (1995–1999)
This is a list of launches made by the R-7 Semyorka ICBM, and its derivatives
The derivative of a function is the rate of change of the function's output relative to its input value.
Derivative may also refer to:
In mathematics and economics
* ...
*
1997 in spaceflight
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1997 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
Launches
, colspan="8",
January
, -
, colspan="8",
February
, -
, colspan="8",
March
, - ...
*
List of Oko satellites
Oko is a Russian satellite-based missile detection and early warning system. The system has used a total of 101 satellites, which were launched between 1972 and 2012. Eighty six US-K satellites, operated in semisynchronous elliptical molniya orb ...
References
[
]
{{Oko
Kosmos satellites
Spacecraft launched in 1997
Oko
Spacecraft launched by Molniya-M rockets