Kosmos 1278
| Mission type | Early warning |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1981-058A |
| SATCAT no. | 12547 |
| Mission duration | 4 years [1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | US-K[2] |
| Launch mass | 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 June 1981, 19:37 UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-M/2BL[2] |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3] |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 5 July 1984[1] |
| Decay date | 2 September 2000[4] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Molniya [2] |
| Perigee altitude | 665 kilometres (413 mi)[4] |
| Apogee altitude | 39,725 kilometres (24,684 mi)[4] |
| Inclination | 62.8 degrees[4] |
| Period | 718.49 minutes[4] |
Kosmos 1278 (
infrared sensors.[2]
Kosmos 1278 was launched from
international designator 1981-058A.[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 12547.[4]
Kosmos 1278 was a US-K satellite like Kosmos 862 that self-destructed in orbit, NASA believes deliberately.[1] It had been inactive since early 1984 and broke apart in early-December 1984. The main component may have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 2 September 2000.[4][5] Debris from this satellite can not be tracked.
See also
- 1981 in spaceflight
- List of Kosmos satellites (1251–1500)
- List of Oko satellites
- List of R-7 launches (1980-1984)
References
- ^ a b c
Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (PDF). Science and Global Security. 10 (1): 21–60. S2CID 122901563. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b c d e "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ^ a b c McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ Anz-Meador, Phillip (December 2022). History of On-orbit Satellite Fragmentations, 16th edition (PDF). NASA. p. 194. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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