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EKS (satellite system)

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EKS(Russian:Единая космическая система,romanized:Edinaya Kosmicheskaya Sistemameaning Integrated Cosmos System[3])Kupol(Russian:Куполmeaning Dome[4]) is a developing[2]programme of Russianearly warning satellitesas a replacement for theUS-KMOandUS-Ksatellites of theOkoprogramme.[5]: 7 The satellites are designed to identify any possible future ballistic missile launches, from outer space, and complement early warning radars such as theVoronezh.This gives advance notice of a nuclear attack and would provide information to theA-135 missile defence systemwhich protects Moscow, as well as other Russianmissile defenseand counterattack resources. Six satellites are planned to be initially orbited.[1]The first of these was launched on 17 November 2015[2]and as of November 2022,all six of them are in service.[6]

EKS Kupol
ManufacturerRKK Energia(bus) and
TsNII Kometa(payload.)[1]
Country of originRussia[1]
OperatorKosmicheskie Voyska Rossii (Cosmic Forces, Russia)
ApplicationsEarly warningofmissile attack
Specifications
BusPossiblyUSP (Victoria)[1]
PowerDeployablesolar arrays
BatteriesYes
EquipmentMilitaryearly warningsystem and
a reported secure emergency communications payload
to be used in case of anuclear war.[1]
RegimeMolniya
Production
StatusActive
On order3
Launched6
Operational6
Retired0
Maiden launchEKS 1 / Tundra-11L,
17 November 2015[2]
Last launchEKS 6 / Tundra-16L,
25 November 2022

Background

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EKS has been designated to detect and track ballistic missiles launched towards Russia or its allies.[7]The systems have been designed as a replacement for the current system of early warning satellites calledOko,which had its first launch in 1972[8]: 36 [9]and was described in 2005 as "hopelessly outdated".[10]Oko has two types of satellites:US-KMOare ingeosynchronous orbitsand have aninfrared telescopeto identify ballistic missile launches.[11]US-Kare inMolniya orbitsand are an earlier model with optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[12]The Oko system has two control centres with the main one beingSerpukhov-15outside Moscow.[8]: 40 [8]: 52 

Oko is part of theMain Centre for Missile Attack Warning[13]which is under the Space Command (KK) of theRussian Aerospace Defence Forces.[14]

In 2014,Kommersantpublished that the first satellite, of a type named Tundra, would be launched in 2014. According to that report they would operate on highly elliptical orbits. The satellite was not launched in 2014, however.[15]It was eventually launched from thePlesetsk Cosmodromeon 17 November 2015, using aSoyuz 2.1brocket with aFregatstage, under the name EKS-1 / Tundra-11L.[2][16](GRAUdesignation: 14F142[17]) In November 2022, the sixth satellite was orbited.[1][6]

Timeline

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Information on the new EKS system is scarce but it appears that it was designed byEnergia Corpin 1999-2000 and was selected against a proposal fromOkomanufacturerNPO Lavochkin.[18]The Russian Ministry of Defence awarded the contract to Energia in 2007 with an expected delivery date of 2008, for a test launch in 2009.[19]In 2009, it was reported to be delayed until late 2011/early 2012.[20]In 2011, the Russian MoD sued Energia for the delay, claiming that a contract extension issued until May 2010 was invalid and asking for 262 millionrublesin compensation.[21]According to news reports Energia said that the contract extension was valid and that the problem was with their subcontractors.[21]In addition, they said that the Russian MoD kept changing the specification and demanding things that were beyond the capabilities of the industry.[21]The Russian MoD lost the court case.Energiadelivered a satellite in 2009 but as of April 2012 there had not been a test launch.[19]

In April 2012, the minister Alexander Sukhorukov announced that a contract had been signed to manufacture these satellites and that there would be a launch later in 2012.[22]The last satellites of the previous Oko system wereKosmos 2479,[23]launched on 30 March 2012, andKosmos 2469,launched on 30 September 2010.[24]

The first EKS satellite (Kosmos 2510,EKS-1, Tundra 11L) was eventually launched fromPlesetskon 17 November 2015 using aSoyuz-2.1brocket[2]and as of May 2020there were four in service which is the minimum standard strength.[25][26]A fifth one was launched in November 2021 to start the expansion of the system capabilities. In November 2022, the initial constellation of six satellites was completed.[6]

Satellites

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Satellite[1] COSPAR international designator NORAD catalog # Orbit Launch Date End Date Estimated Operational Life
Kosmos 2510(EKS 1) (Tundra 11L) 2015-066A 41032 Molniya[27]38552 x 1626 km, 63.37° 17 November 2015 Active
Kosmos 2518(EKS 2) (Tundra 12L) 2017-027A 42719 Molniya[28]38552 x 1626 km, 63.37° 25 May 2017 Active[29]
Kosmos 2541(EKS 3) (Tundra 13L) 2019-065A 44552 Molniya[30]38537 x 1646 km, 63.83° 26 September 2019 Active
Kosmos 2546(EKS 4) (Tundra 14L) 2020-031A 45608 Molniya[25]35807 x 1654 km, 63.83° 22 May 2020 Active
Kosmos 2552(EKS 5) (Tundra 15L) 2021-113A 49503 Molniya[31]38761 x 1609 km, 63.83° 25 November 2021 Active
Kosmos 2563(EKS 6) (Tundra 16L) 2022-145A 54223 Molniya[6]38753 x 1596 km, 63.82° 2 November 2022 Active
Animation of EKS with 4 satellites
Equatorial view
Polar view
Earth fixed frame,front view
Earth fixed frame,side view
Kosmos 2510·Kosmos 2518·Kosmos 2541·Kosmos 2546·Earth

References

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  1. ^abcdefg"Gunter's Space Page - Tundra (EKS, 14F142)".Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2015.Retrieved17 December2015.
  2. ^abcde"Soyuz 2-1B launches EKS-1 to upgrade Russian Early Warning System".17 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2015.Retrieved17 December2015.
  3. ^Hendrickx, Bart (8 February 2021)."EKS: Russia's space-based missile early warning system".The Space Review.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved9 February2021.
  4. ^"Российскую систему предупреждения о ракетном нападении назвали" Купол ""[Russian missile early warning system has been named Dome.] (in Russian).RIA Novosti.18 December 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2019.Retrieved1 January2020.
  5. ^Podvig, Pavel; Zuang, Hui (2008).Russian and Chinese Responses to US Military Plans in Space(PDF).Cambridge, Massachusetts: American Academy of Arts and Sciences.ISBN978-0-87724-068-6.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 March 2016.Retrieved20 May2018.
  6. ^abcdZak, Anatoly (2 November 2022)."Soyuz launches a missile-detection satellite".RussianSpaceWeb.Retrieved2 November2022.
  7. ^Path, Neal (5 June 2020)."Russia sets up ballistic missile early warning satellite grouping to monitor the US".International Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2020.Retrieved5 June2020.
  8. ^abcPodvig, 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.CiteSeerX10.1.1.692.6127.doi:10.1080/08929880212328.ISSN0892-9882.S2CID122901563.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 March 2012.
  9. ^Zak, Anatoly (18 April 2012)."Oko early-warning satellite".Russianspaceweb.com.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2012.Retrieved14 May2012.
  10. ^Podvig, Pavel (21 November 2005)."Hopelessly outdated".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 8 March 2012.Retrieved30 April2012.
  11. ^Krebs, Gunter."US-KMO (71Kh6)".Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2012.Retrieved5 March2012.
  12. ^Krebs, Gunter."US-KS (74Kh6)".Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2012.Retrieved5 March2012.
  13. ^Podvig, Pavel (30 January 2012)."Early Warning".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2013.Retrieved24 March2012.
  14. ^"Structure".Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. n.d.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2011.Retrieved24 March2012.
  15. ^Pavel, Podvig (19 July 2014)."New-generation early-warning satellite, Tundra, to be launched in 2014".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2015.Retrieved10 February2015.
  16. ^"Russian Soyuz-2.1b rocket successfully launches Tundra satellite".SpaceflightInsider.com.17 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 4 July 2017.Retrieved21 September2017.
  17. ^Safronov Jr, Ivan (26 May 2017).""Тундра" в сосновом бору "[ "Tundra" in a pine forest] (in Russian).Kommersant.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2019.Retrieved1 January2020.
  18. ^Podvig, Pavel (22 August 2007)."Russia is working on new early-warning satellites".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2012.Retrieved19 April2012.
  19. ^abPodvig, Pavel (18 August 2011)."New generation early-warning satellite turned up in court".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 19 April 2012.Retrieved19 April2012.
  20. ^Podvig, Pavel (29 April 2009)."Early-warning satellites - old and new".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 19 April 2012.Retrieved19 April2012.
  21. ^abcSafronov Jr, Ivan (17 August 2011)."Военные проиграли космический иск космической корпорации"[The military lost a space corporation space suit] (in Russian).Kommersant.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2016.Retrieved19 April2012.
  22. ^"Минобороны РФ заключило контракты на создание спутников для отслеживания ракетных запусков"[Defence ministry signed contracts to build satellites to track missile launches]. ITAR-TASS. 19 April 2012.Retrieved9 May2012.
  23. ^"Oko Satellite successfully delivered to Orbit".Spaceflight 101. 30 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2013.Retrieved17 April2012.
  24. ^Pavel, Podvig (30 March 2012)."Cosmos-2479 - new geostationary early warning satellite".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2012.Retrieved17 April2012.
  25. ^ab"Soyuz rocket launches Russian missile warning satellite".spaceflightnow.com.SFN. 22 May 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2020.Retrieved22 May2020.
  26. ^"Missile warning satellites cluster Kupol brought to minimum standard strength".Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2020.Retrieved23 August2020.
  27. ^"Russia's 1st EKS Missile Warning Satellite enters surprising Orbit".Spaceflight 101.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2017.Retrieved8 July2017.
  28. ^"Russia's Soyuz launches EKS Missile Warning Satellite, ends Year-Long Military Launch Gap".Spaceflight 101.Archivedfrom the original on 28 June 2017.Retrieved8 July2017.
  29. ^"Запущен второй спутник Единой космической системы".26 May 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2017.Retrieved26 May2017.
  30. ^"Russia orbits missile-detection satellite".www.russianspaceweb.com.26 September 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2019.Retrieved26 September2019.
  31. ^"Russia launches a missile-detection satellite".russianspaceweb.com.Zak. 25 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2021.Retrieved25 November2021.

Sources

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