Olymp-K
| Mission type | Military,ELINT |
|---|---|
| Operator | FSB |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-058A[1] |
| SATCATno. | 40258[1] |
| Mission duration | 15 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Ekspress-2000 |
| Manufacturer | JSC Information Satellite Systems |
| Launch mass | 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 September 2014, 20:23UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-M/Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur81/24[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric167° East |
| Regime | Geosynchronous |
| Perigee altitude | 35,780 kilometres (22,230 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,798 kilometres (22,244 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 0.05 degrees[1] |
| Period | 1436.24 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 5 October 2015, 09:00 UTC[1] |
Olymp-K(Russian:Олимп-КmeaningOlympus) is a Russian geostationary satellite built for the RussianMinistry of DefenceandFederal Security Service(FSB). The satellite is also referred to as "Luch".[2]It is believed to be asignals intelligencesatellite.[2]
Launch[edit]
Olymp-K was launched on 28 September 2014. TheProton-Mrocket with aBriz-Mupper stage launched fromBaikonur Cosmodromelaunchpad81/24inKazakhstanat 20:23 UTC.[3][1][4]After four burns of the Briz-M upper stage it was placed intogeosynchronous transfer orbit.[4][1]In a press release on 28 September 2014,Roscosmosreferred to the satellite as "Luch".[5]
Manoeuvres[edit]
Following its launch, the Olymp-K satellite made several manoeuvres before settling at 18.1° West longitude around 4 April 2015. The satellite was then positioned in an orbit directly betweenIntelsat 901,which was located at 18° West, andIntelsat 7,located at 18.2° West.[4]It remained in geosynchronous orbit between the satellites for five months. At times, Olymp-K performed colocation manoeuvres, positioning itself around 10 kilometres from the satellites.[4]In September 2015, the satellite was manoeuvred to a position at 24.4° West, adjacent to the Intelsat 905 satellite.[6]WhileJFCC SPACEspokesperson and Air Force Captain Nicholas Mercurio said there were three occasions where the Olymp-K satellite had come within five kilometres of another satellite, an industry source indicated that Air Force data were predictions based on drift rates and that Olymp-K's approach had not brought it closer than 10 kilometres to the Intelsat satellites.[4]According to the head of Russia’s Space Policy Institute, the satellite was being moved because of “communications problems”.[7]As of December 2019, the satellite was located at 70.6° East Longitude.[8]Since then, ii has made more moves west, and since summer 2022, it's located at 18°W again.[9]
On the 7 September 2018, France'sMinister of the Armed Forces,Florence Parly,claimed that in 2017 a Luch-Olymp spacecraft had crept close to theAthena-Fidussatellite, a French-Italian satellite launched in 2014 and used for secure military communications and the planning of operations. Parly said, "Trying to listen to one’s neighbor is not only unfriendly. It’s called an act of espionage."[10][2]
Analysis and response[edit]
Intelsatcriticized the maneouvres, with Intelsat General president Kay Sears saying that "this is not normal behavior and we're concerned."[4]Attempts by Intelsat to contact the owners of the Russian satellite directly and via the US Defense Department did not receive a response. Members of the space community consider the incident to be among the first documented instances of a foreign military satellite approaching a commercial operator in such a manner.[4]
In a 5 October analysis of Russian proximity and rendezvous operations written for the Space Review, Secure World Foundation technical adviser Brian Weeden highlighted Olymp-K's movements. In his paper, he wrote that many Russian space program observers believe the satellite mission involvessignals intelligenceor communications.[11][4]Observers also speculated whether there is a connection between Olymp-K and the Yenisey A1 (Luch 4) experimental satellite.[6]AKommersantreport indicated that Olymp-K would provide secure governmental communications as well as electronic intelligence (SIGINT).[12]Sources have also reported that the satellite has an onboard laser communications device and will provide theGLONASSsystem with navigation correction signals.[6]
Olymp-K's maneouvres were reported to have led to several classified meetings within the U.S. Defense Department.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefghij"2014-058".Zarya.info. 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-12-28.Retrieved2016-11-29.
- ^abcChrisafis, Angelique (7 September 2018)."'Act of espionage': France accuses Russia of trying to spy on satellite data ".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2019.Retrieved28 July2019.
- ^Zak, Anatoly (19 October 2015)."Proton successfully returns to flight delivering a secret Olymp satellite".Russian Space Web.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2015.Retrieved30 November2016.
- ^abcdefghiGruss, Mike (9 October 2015)."Russian Satellite Maneuvers, Silence Worry Intelsat".SpaceNews.
- ^"Космический аппарат" Луч "выведен на расчетную орбиту".Новости Роскосмоса(in Russian). 28 September 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2014.
- ^abcKrebs, Gunter Dirk."Luch (Olimp-K)".space.skyrocket.de.Gunter's Space Page.Archivedfrom the original on 9 November 2016.Retrieved30 November2016.
- ^Gruss, Mike (20 October 2015)."From Russia, Unofficial Assurance about Intent of Lurking Luch Satellite".SpaceNews.Retrieved21 September2023.
- ^Roberts, Thomas G. (2020)."Unusual Behavior in GEO: Luch (Olymp-K)".CSIS Aerospace Security.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2020.Retrieved1 Jul2020.
- ^http://www.celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/graph-geo.php?CATNR=40258
- ^‘Espionage:' French defense head charges Russia of dangerous games in space,John Leicester & Sylvie Corbet,Associated Press/Defense News,2018-09-08
- ^Weeden, Brian (5 October 2015)."Dancing in the dark redux: Recent Russian rendezvous and proximity operations in space (page 2)".The Space Review.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2016.Retrieved30 November2016.
- ^Сафронов, Иван (24 March 2014)."Анатолия Шилова приняли на госслушбу".Газета "Коммерсантъ"(in Russian). p. 2. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.