Kosmos (russian: Ко́смос, , meaning " (outer) space" or " Kosmos") is a designation given to many

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 radioi ...

s operated by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and subsequently Russia.

Kosmos 1 Kosmos 1 (russian: Космос 1 meaning ''Cosmos 1''), also known as DS-2 No.1 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 11 was a technology demonstration and ionospheric research satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1962. It was the firs ...

, the first spacecraft to be given a Kosmos designation, was launched on 16 March 1962.

History

The first Soviet satellites orbiting Earth were named Sputnik, Polyot (starting in 1963), Elektron (in 1964), Proton (in 1965), and Molniya (in 1965), but most have been called Kosmos since

on 16 March 1962. The program has included uncrewed tests of crewed spacecraft and satellites for scientific research and military purposes. , 2548 Kosmos satellites have been launched. The spacecraft do not form a single programme, but instead consist of almost all Soviet and Russian military satellites, as well as a number of scientific satellites, and spacecraft which failed during or immediately after launch, but still reached orbit. Most Soviet and subsequently Russian military satellites were given Kosmos designations. Spacecraft include optical reconnaissance satellites,

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...

s, early warning missile defence spacecraft,

nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

radar reconnaissance satellites,

anti-satellite weapon Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic or tactical purposes. Several nations possess operational ASAT systems. Although no ASAT system has been utilised in warfare, a few ...

s and their targets, navigation satellites and technology demonstrators. Some scientific spacecraft such as Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik, Bion and Meteor satellites were also given Kosmos designations. The designation is given only to satellites which are in Earth orbit. Typically, Soviet Lunar and planetary missions were initially put into a low Earth parking orbit along with an

upper stage A multistage rocket or step rocket is a launch vehicle that uses two or more rocket ''stages'', each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A ''tandem'' or ''serial'' stage is mounted on top of another stage; a ''parallel'' stage is ...

, which would later burn for around four minutes to place the spacecraft into a

cislunar Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, predo ...

or a heliocentric orbit. If the engine misfired or the burn was not completed, the probes which would be left in Earth orbit would be given a Kosmos designation. Control systems for 152 spacecraft which were later assigned Kosmos designations were developed and manufactured by NPO Electropribor ( Kharkiv).

Early Kosmos satellites

Kosmos 1

Kosmos 1, also known as Sputnik 11, was launched on 16 March 1962 at 12:00:00

GMT Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a cons ...

. Orbital mass 285 kg. It was the first satellite of the Soviet Earth Satellite series.The Sputnik program
Professor Chris Mihos, Case Western Reserve University Employed radio instruments in order to study the structure of the ionosphere.

Kosmos 2

Kosmos 2, also known as Sputnik 12, was launched on 6 April 1962 at 17:16:00 GMT. Orbital mass 285 kg. It was the second satellite of the Soviet Earth Satellite series. Employed radio instruments in order to study the structure of the ionosphere.

Kosmos 3

Kosmos 3, also known as Sputnik 13, was launched on 24 April 1962 at 04:04:00 GMT. Orbital mass 330 kg. It belongs to the Soviet Earth Satellite series. It was used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere,

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

and the

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with space-borne memory units.

Kosmos 4

Kosmos 4, also known as Sputnik 14, was launched on 26 April 1962 at 10:04:00 GMT. Orbital mass 4610 kg. It was used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer space. It was developed to measure radiation before and after nuclear tests conducted during the U.S. project Starfish. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with space-borne memory units.

Kosmos 5

Kosmos 5, also known as Sputnik 15, was launched on 28 May 1962 at 03:07:00 GMT. Orbital mass 280 kg. It was used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer space. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with space-borne memory units.

Kosmos 6

Kosmos 6, also known as Sputnik 16, was launched on 30 June 1962 at 16:04:00 GMT from

Kapustin Yar Kapustin Yar (russian: Капустин Яр) is a Russian rocket launch complex in Astrakhan Oblast, about 100 km east of Volgograd. It was established by the Soviet Union on 13 May 1946. In the beginning, Kapustin Yar used technology, material ...

. Orbital mass 355 kg. It was a Soviet DS ( Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik) type military satellite built in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

for launch by Kosmos launch vehicles. It was used for military and scientific research and component proving tests.

Kosmos 7

Kosmos 7, also known as Sputnik 17, was launched on 28 July 1962 at 09:21:00 GMT. Orbital mass 4610 kg. It was used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer space. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with space-borne memory units. It was used to measure radiation in the space environment in order to guarantee safety during the flight of the

Vostok 3 Vostok 3 (russian: Восток-3, lit=Orient 3' or 'East 3) and Vostok 4 (, 'Orient 4' or 'East 4') were Soviet space program flights in August 1962, intended to determine the ability of the human body to function in conditions of weightlessne ...

and Vostok 4 spacecraft.

Kosmos 8

Kosmos 8, also known as Sputnik 18, was launched on 18 August 1962 at 05:02:00 GMT from

. Orbital mass 337 kg. It was a Soviet DS (Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik) type military satellite built in

for launch by Kosmos launch vehicles. It was used for military and scientific research and component proving tests.

Other Kosmos satellites

* Kosmos 21 - failed Venus (Venera) probe mission * Kosmos 24 - failed Venus probe mission * Kosmos 47 - first uncrewed test flight of Voskhod crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 57 - second uncrewed test flight of Voskhod crewed spacecraft *

Kosmos 60 Kosmos 60 (russian: Космос 60 meaning ''Cosmos 60'') was an E-6 No.9 probe (Ye-6 series), launched by the Soviet Union. It was the sixth attempt at a lunar soft-landing mission, with a design similar to that of Luna 4. Kosmos 60 was launc ...

- failed Moon (Luna) landing probe mission *

Kosmos 96 Kosmos 96 (russian: Космос 96 meaning ''Cosmos 96''), or 3MV-4 No.6, was a Soviet spacecraft intended to explore Venus. A 3MV-4 spacecraft launched as part of the Venera programme, Kosmos 96 was to have made a flyby of Venus, however, due ...

- failed Venus landing probe mission * Kosmos 110 - first Soviet biosatellite (contained biological experiments) * Kosmos 111 - failed first Moon orbiting mission *

Kosmos 122 Kosmos 122 (russian: Космос 122 meaning ''Cosmos 122''), launched on 25 June 1966, Meteor No.5L, and was one of eleven weather satellites put into orbit between 1964 and 1969. This launch was dubbed a Kosmos satellite mission because th ...

- first Soviet meteorological satellite * Kosmos 133 - first uncrewed test flight of

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...

crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 140 - second uncrewed test flight of Soyuz crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 144 - a soviet meteorology satellite that predated the Meteor program *

Kosmos 146 Kosmos 146 (russian: Космос 146 meaning ''Cosmos 146''), also known as L-1 No. 2P, was a Soviet test spacecraft precursor to the Zond series, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton K rocket. The spacecraft was designed to ...

- first uncrewed flight of planned crewed L1 Moon-flyby spacecraft *

Kosmos 154 Kosmos 154 (russian: Космос 154 meaning ''Cosmos 154''), also known as L-1 No.3P, was a Soviet test spacecraft launched from the Baikonur aboard a Proton-K rocket. It was a prototype Soyuz 7K-L1 launched by Proton. It was an uncrewed prec ...

- second uncrewed flight of planned crewed L1 Moon-flyby spacecraft * Kosmos 156 - a soviet satellite that predated the Meteor program * Kosmos 159 - failed probe satellite to test gravitational anomalies caused by the Moon *

Kosmos 167 Kosmos 167 (russian: Космос 167 meaning ''Cosmos 167''), or 4V-1 No.311, was a 1967 Soviet spacecraft intended to explore Venus. A spacecraft launched as part of the Venera programme, Kosmos 167 was intended to land on Venus but never dep ...

- failed Venus landing probe mission * Kosmos 186 and 188 - uncrewed test flights of Soyuz crewed spacecraft, the first ever automatic docking of satellites * Kosmos 212 and

Kosmos 213 Kosmos 213 (russian: Космос 213 meaning ''Cosmos 213'') was one of a series of Soviet Soyuz programme test spacecraft whose purpose was to further test and develop the passenger version. Scientific data and measurements were relayed to ear ...

- uncrewed test flights of Soyuz crewed spacecraft with second automatic docking * Kosmos 238 - final test series of Soyuz programme spacecraft *

Kosmos 300 Kosmos 300 (russian: Космос 300 meaning ''Cosmos 300'') (Ye-8-5 series) was the fourth Soviet attempt at an unmanned lunar sample return. It was probably similar in design to the later Luna 16 spacecraft. It was launched, on a Proton rocket ...

- failed Moon sample return mission * Kosmos 305 - failed Moon sample return mission * Kosmos 359 - failed Venus landing probe mission * Kosmos 367 - first launched satellite with an onboard nuclear reactor US-A *

Kosmos 382 Kosmos 382 was a Soviet Soyuz 7K-L1E modification of a Soyuz 7K-L1 "Zond" spacecraft and was successfully test launched into Low Earth Orbit on a Proton rocket designated as (Soyuz 7K-L1E No.2) on December 2, 1970. The main purpose of the missi ...

- first uncrewed flight of prototype of planned LOK moon-orbital spacecraft of L3 crewed moon-landing program * Kosmos 419 - failed

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

orbiting probe mission * Kosmos 482 - failed Venus landing probe mission, parts crashed in south New Zealand. *

Kosmos 557 Kosmos 557 (russian: Космос 557 meaning ''Cosmos 557'') was the designation given to DOS-3, the third space station in the Salyut program. It was originally intended to be launched as Salyut-3, but due to its failure to achieve orbit on May ...

- failed third DOS type space station in the

Salyut program The ''Salyut'' programme (russian: Салют, , meaning "salute" or "fireworks") was the first space station programme, undertaken by the Soviet Union. It involved a series of four crewed scientific research space stations and two crewed m ...

* Kosmos 605 - first of the Bion series, containing biological organisms *

Kosmos 638 Kosmos 638 (russian: Космос 638) was an uncrewed test of the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project Soyuz. It carried an APAS-75 androgynous docking system. This was followed by another uncrewed test of this spacecraft type, Kosmos 672. It was a ...

- first uncrewed test flight of Soyuz/7K-TM crewed spacecraft for Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) * Kosmos 670 - first uncrewed test flight of Soyuz-VI/7K-S military crewed spacecraft *

- second uncrewed test flight of Soyuz/7K-TM crewed spacecraft for ASTP * Kosmos 772 - second uncrewed test flight of Soyuz-VI/7K-S military crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 782 - first mission in which the U.S. participated in the Soviet Kosmos program * Kosmos 869 - third uncrewed test flight of Soyuz-VI/7K-S military crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 929 - first uncrewed flight of planned crewed TKS spacecraft * Kosmos 954 - launched with an onboard nuclear US-A reactor; failed (reasons uncertain) and re-entered atmosphere on 24 January 1978, strewing radioactive debris across northern Canada * Kosmos 1001 - first uncrewed test flight of Soyuz-T crewed spacecraft * Kosmos 1074 - second uncrewed test flight of Soyuz-T crewed spacecraft *

Kosmos 1267 Kosmos 1267 (russian: Космос 1267 meaning ''Cosmos 1267''), also known as TKS-2, was an unmanned TKS spacecraft which docked to the USSR, Soviet space station Salyut 6 as part of tests to attach scientific expansion modules to stations in Ear ...

- second flight of TKS spacecraft * Kosmos 1275 - believed to be the first spacecraft destroyed by space debris, but this is unconfirmed and there are other theories to explain its break up. * Kosmos 1374 - first flight of

BOR-4 The BOR-4 (''БОР-4'' russian: Беспилотный Орбитальный Ракетоплан 4, , "Unpiloted Orbital Rocketplane 4") flight vehicle is a scaled (1:2) prototype of the Soviet Spiral VTHL (vertical takeoff, horizontal landin ...

prototype of Spiral military shuttle system * Kosmos 1378 -

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

satellite *

Kosmos 1402 Kosmos 1402 (russian: Космос 1402) was a Soviet spy satellite that malfunctioned, resulting in the uncontrolled re-entry of its nuclear reactor and its radioactive uranium fuel. Kosmos 1402 was launched on August 30, 1982, and re-entered the ...

- failed * Kosmos 1408 - destroyed in an

test * Kosmos 1443 - third flight of TKS spacecraft * Kosmos 1445 - second flight of BOR-4 prototype of Spiral military shuttle system * Kosmos 1517 - third flight of BOR-4 prototype of Spiral military shuttle system * Kosmos 1614 - fourth flight of BOR-4 prototype of Spiral military shuttle system * Kosmos 1669 - control-restored flight of

Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...

cargo spacecraft * Kosmos 1686 - fourth flight of TKS spacecraft *

Kosmos 1818 Kosmos 1818 was a nuclear powered Soviet surveillance satellite in the RORSAT program, which monitored NATO vessels using radar. Kosmos 1818 was the first satellite to use the TOPAZ-1 fission reactor. In July 2008, the satellite was damaged, and ...

- first

RORSAT Upravlyaemy Sputnik Aktivnyy (russian: Управляемый Спутник Активный for Controlled Active Satellite), or US-A, also known in the west as Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite or RORSAT (GRAU index 17F16K), was a series of ...

with Topaz-1 nuclear reactor *

Kosmos 1867 Kosmos 1867 (russian: Космос 1867) is a nuclear powered radar ocean reconnaissance satellite (RORSAT) that was launched by the Soviet Union on July 10, 1987. It was put into an orbit of about . Its mission was to monitor the oceans for nava ...

- second RORSAT with Topaz-1 nuclear reactor * Kosmos 1870 - uncrewed flight of Almaz military station * Kosmos 2251 - collided with an Iridium satellite * Kosmos 2441 - first in a new series of spy satellites (

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...

), features updated imaging technology and an extended lifetime of up to seven years, failed * Kosmos 2479 - last

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 ...

US-KMO US-KMO (russian: УС-КМО), an abbreviation for Upravlyaemy Sputnik - Kontinenty Morya Okeany (russian: Управляемый Спутник - Континенты Моря Океаны) meaning ''Controllable Satellite - Continents, Oceans, Se ...

early warning satellite, launched on last

Proton-K The Proton-K, also designated Proton 8K82K after its GRAU index or SL-12 after its model number, 8K82K, was a Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket derived from the earlier Proton. It was built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 an ...

launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload ( spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and ...

. * Kosmos 2480 - Kobalt-M spy satellite, launched aboard the last

Soyuz-U The Soyuz-U launch vehicle was an improved version of the original Soyuz rocket. Soyuz-U was part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and cons ...

launch vehicle from

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 ...

References

External links

Cosmos unmasked: studying Soviet and Russian space history in the 21st century
by Dwayne A. Day
Recoverable Satellites under the Cosmos Programme
{{authority control + Satellites of the Soviet Union Satellites of Russia