Oko(OldRussian:Око,lit. 'Eye')[a]is a Russian (previouslySoviet) missile defenceearly warningprogramme consisting ofsatellitesinMolniyaandgeosynchronous orbits.Oko satellites are used to identify launches ofballistic missilesby detection of their engines' exhaust plume ininfraredlight, and complement other early warning facilities such asVoronezh,DaryalandDnepr radars.The information provided by these sensors can be used for theA-135 anti-ballistic missile systemwhich defendsMoscow.The satellites are run by theRussian Aerospace Forces,and previously theRussian Aerospace Defence ForcesandRussian Space Forces.Since November 2015, it is being replaced by the newEKSsystem.[1]
History
editDevelopment of the Oko system began in the early 1970s under the design bureau headed by AI Savin, which becameTsNII Kometa.The spacecraft element was designed byNPO Lavochkin.[2]The first satellite was launched in 1972[3]but it was not until 1978 that the overall system became operational and 1982 before it was placed on combat duty.[2]The system had amajor malfunction in 1983when it mistakenly identified sunlight on high altitude clouds as a missile attack.Stanislav Petrov,on duty at the new control centre inSerpukhov-15,Moscow Oblast,discounted the warning due to the newness of the system and the lack of corroboration from ground-based radar.[4]
The vast majority of the satellites launched (86 out of 100 as of March 2012[5]) have been the first generationUS-Ksatellites which operate inmolniya orbits.Seven first generation satellites were launched into geosynchronous orbits, calledUS-KS,starting in 1975.[6]A decree of 3 September 1979 led to the creation of the second generation satellitesUS-KMOwhich had their first launch in 1991.[2]In total,101 satellites have been launched.
The US-K satellites, were launched byMolniya-Mlaunch vehicleswithBlok 2BLupper stages fromPlesetsk Cosmodrome.The US-KS and US-KMO operate in geosynchronous orbits and were launched byProtonwithDM-2upper stages fromBaikonur.[5][7]
The last US-KMO satellite (Kosmos 2479) was launched on 30 March 2012[8]and the last US-K satellite (Kosmos 2469) on 30 September 2010.[9]They are due to be replaced by a new system calledEKS.
Debris
editThe first generation Molniya-type orbit Oko satellites launched between 1976 and 1983 were prone to disintegration, resulting in extensivespace debris.The reason they broke up was because they each carried an on-board explosive charge that would be used to destroy the satellite in the case of a malfunction. Unfortunately, control of the explosive charge was itself unreliable and it would often explode, rendering the satellite inoperative, while it was still under control. The design was eventually changed, and the explosive charge inKosmos 1481was the last to explode early.[10]
Facilities
editThe system has two dedicated control centres. The western centre is atSerpukhov-15(Russian:Серпухов-15) nearKurilovooutside Moscow[11](55°04′06″N37°02′29″E/ 55.06833°N 37.04139°E) and the eastern centre is atPivan-1(Russian:Пивань-1)[12](50°20′57″N137°11′22″E/ 50.34917°N 137.18944°E) in the Russian Far East. The centre at Serpukhov-15 burned down in 2001[13][14]which caused the loss of contact with currently orbiting satellites.[15]
See also
edit
- Defense Support Program
- Space-Based Infrared System
- EKS,the new system replacing the entire Oko program.
Notes
edit- ^Also known asSPRN(СПРН,from Russian:спутник для предупреждения о ракетном нападении,lit. 'satellite for warning on rocket attack') according to one source, but SPRN is more commonly used to describe the whole early warning system,система предупреждения о ракетном нападении(system of missile warning), which includes Oko but also includes early warning radar.
References
edit- ^"Soyuz 2-1B launches EKS-1 to upgrade Russian Early Warning System".17 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2015.Retrieved17 December2015.
- ^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.
- ^Zak, Anatoly."Oko early-warning satellite".RussianSpaceWeb.com.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2012.Retrieved5 March2012.
- ^Forden, Geoffrey; Podvig, Pavel; Postol, Theodore A. (2000)."False alarm, nuclear danger".IEEE Spectrum.37(3): 31–39.doi:10.1109/6.825657.ISSN0018-9235.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2015.Retrieved23 May2012.
- ^abKrebs, Gunter."US-K (73D6)".Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2013.Retrieved5 March2012.
- ^Krebs, Gunter."US-KS (74Kh6)".Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2012.Retrieved5 March2012.
- ^Krebs, Gunter."US-KMO (71Kh6)".Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2012.Retrieved5 March2012.
- ^Pavel, Podvig (30 March 2012)."Kosmos 2479 - new geostationary early warning satellite".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2012.Retrieved22 April2012.
- ^Pavel, Podvig (30 September 2010)."Kosmos 2469 might be the last HEO early-warning satellite".Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2012.Retrieved22 April2012.
- ^Clark, Phillip."SPACE DEBRIS INCIDENTS INVOLVING SOVIET/RUSSIAN LAUNCHES".Archived fromthe originalon 25 October 2021.Retrieved7 February2023.
- ^Holm, Michael (2011)."916th independent Radio-Technical Unit".Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2015.Retrieved22 April2012.
- ^Holm, Michael (2011)."1127th independent Radio-Technical Unit".Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2015.Retrieved22 April2012.
- ^Topol, Sergey; Safranov, Ivan (11 May 2001)."У России проблемы с ПРО: Она сгорела"[Russia has an ABM problem: it burnt down]. Kommersant.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2014.Retrieved23 April2012.
- ^"Russia blaze hits satellite network".BBC News. 10 May 2001.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2004.Retrieved23 April2012.
- ^Paleologue, A. (2005). "Early Warning Satellites in Russia: What past, what state today, what future?". In Pejmun Motaghedi (ed.).Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5799.Modeling, Simulation, and Verification of Space-based Systems II. SPIE. pp. 146–157.doi:10.1117/12.603478.