Kondor, GRAU index 14F133, is a series of Earth imaging or military reconnaissance satellites developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya for the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces which in 2015 became the Russian Space Forces and export customers.[2] Satellites for the Russian military are designated "Kondor", whilst those for export are designated Kondor-E.
 Kondor-E (Export) | |
| Manufacturer | NPO Mashinostroyeniya |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Applications | Optical imaging Radar imaging |
| Specifications | |
| Launch mass | 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Design life | 3-5 years |
| Production | |
| Status | In production |
| On order | 4 |
| Built | 3 |
| Launched | 3 |
| Operational | 2 |
| Maiden launch | Kosmos 2487 (Kondor No.202)[1] 27 June 2013 |
| Last launch | Kondor-FKA No.1 26 May 2023 |
Kondor satellites are equipped to carry either synthetic aperture radar or electro-optical imaging payloads, with the first satellite, and are launched using the Strela carrier rocket, developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya from retired UR-100NUTTKh missiles.[3]
A mass simulator named Gruzomaket (aka Kondor-E-GVM, COSPAR 2003-055A [4]) was launched on 5 December 2003, and almost ten years later, on 27 June 2013, the first spacecraft was launched. Kondor No.202 (aka Kosmos 2487, Kondor 1, COSPAR 2013-032A[5]) was operated by the Russian military,[1] and carried a radar imaging payload.[6] It was the first radar imaging satellite to be operated by the Russian military after the Soviet RORSAT and Almaz-T series. The first Kondor-E (Kondor-E 1, COSPAR 2014-084A[7]) launched 19 December 2014 for South Africa.[8]
Civilian versions of the satellite have been designed under the name Kondor-FKA or Kondor-FKA-M.[9][10] The launch of the first Kondor-FKA satellite took place on 26 May 2023 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome,[11] while the launch of the second is planned for 2024.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Issue 681". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Russia orbits South-Africa's first spy satellite Kondor-E". www.russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Strela launcher". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Gruzomaket".
- ^ "Kondor".
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Kondor (14F133) satellite". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Kondor-E".
- ^ Graham, William (19 December 2014). "Russian Strela rocket launches Kondor-E". NasaSpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ "Kondor-FKA 1, 2".
- ^ "Kondor-FKA-M 1".
- ^ Zak, Anatoly (26 May 2023). "Roskosmos launches radar-observation satellite". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ ""Роскосмос" в 2023 г. планирует запустить 9 спутников дистанционного зондирования Земли" [Roscosmos plans to launch 9 Earth remote sensing satellites in 2023]. Interfax (in Russian). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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