Kosmos 1629 (Russian: Космос 1629 meaning Cosmos 1629) is a Soviet US-KS missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1985 as part of the Oko programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[1]

Kosmos 1629
Mission typeEarly warning
OperatorVKS
COSPAR ID1985-016A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.15574
Mission duration2 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeUS-KS (74Kh6)[1]
ManufacturerLavochkin[1]
Launch mass2,400 kilograms (5,300 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date21 February 1985, 07:57:00 (1985-02-21UTC07:57Z) UTC[2]
RocketProton-K/DM
Launch siteBaikonur 200/39
End of mission
Deactivated16 January 1987 [3]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Instruments
Optical telescope with 50 centimetres (20 in) aperture [1]
Infrared sensor/s [1]
Smaller telescopes[1]

Kosmos 1629 was launched from Site 200/39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh SSR.[1] A Proton-K carrier rocket with a DM upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 07:57 UTC on 21 February 1985.[2][3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into geostationary orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1985-016A.[2] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 15574.[2][3]

It was operational for about 2 years.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "US-KS (74Kh6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cosmos 1629". National Space Science Data Centre. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  3. ^ a b c d Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (PDF). Science and Global Security. 10 (1): 21–60. Bibcode:2002S&GS...10...21P. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.6127. doi:10.1080/08929880212328. ISSN 0892-9882. S2CID 122901563. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-15.