Okno-S
Okno-S | |
|---|---|
Окно-С | |
| Part of 821st Main Space Intelligence Centre | |
| Primorsky Krai, Russia | |
  Okno-S | |
| Coordinates | 44°36′N 132°49′E / 44.6°N 132.82°E |
| Type | Space surveillance facility |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Russian Aerospace Forces |
| Controlled by | Russian Space Forces |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Soviet Union/Russia |
Okno-S (Russian: Окно-С) is a reported
Okno
Okno is described as an optical-electronic facility which uses telescopes to track satellites and spacecraft between 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) and 40,000 kilometres (25,000 mi) above the Earth. It is located at high altitude, 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea-level near the civilian Sanglok astronomical observatory.[1]: 13 [1]: 18 [1]: 21
Plans
Little is known about Okno-S. The project started at Krasnogorsk mechanical plant in 1980, under the direction of V S Chernova, and the initial design was completed in 1985.[1]: 261, 263 In 1989 Russian military contractor Vympel released a draft design of a number of space surveillance complexes including Okno-S.[1]: 265
One analyst, Sean O'Connor, says that the original plan was for four Okno installations and four Okno-S installations. This was later reduced to one in Ukraine and one in Eastern Russia.[2] A report by Lenta.ru in 2004 said that one Okno-S was under construction.
Location
Sources agree on the rough location of the site in
Facility
There is speculation on the differences between Okno and Okno-S and what the facility actually consists of. Sean O'Connor says that it only covers the region between 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) and 40,000 kilometres (25,000 mi) above the Earth, providing information on satellites in
Other facilities
Primorsky Krai is mountainous and has other space and astronomical facilities. Krona-N, another military space surveillance facility is near Nakhodka at 42°56′N 132°34′E / 42.93°N 132.57°E.[2][3] Military unit 20096 obtains coordinates and reflecting features of space objects, and transmits this information to a unified system.[4] A civilian solar observatory, Ussuriysk Astrophysical Observatory, is in Ussuriysk.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Thomson, Allen, ed. (2008-12-30). Sourcebook on the Okno (в/ч 52168), Krona (в/ч 20096) and Krona-N (в/ч 20776) Space Surveillance Sites (PDF). Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f O'Connor, Sean (2008-06-13). "Soviet & Russian Space Surveillance Facilities". Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ Podvig, Pavel (2012-01-30). "Early warning". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. Retrieved 2012-03-17.
- ^ "Russia's Krona Space Reconnaissance System Profiled, Praised in TV Programme". BBC Monitoring/Red Orbit. 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2012-03-17.