Kosmos 1188
Mission typeEarly warning
COSPAR ID1980-050A
SATCAT no.11844
Mission duration4 years [1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeUS-K[2]
Launch mass1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date14 June 1980, 20:52 (1980-06-14UTC20:52Z) UTC
RocketMolniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch sitePlesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
End of mission
Deactivated28 October 1980[1]
Decay date24 May 2013[4]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeMolniya [2]
Perigee altitude665 kilometres (413 mi)[5]
Apogee altitude39,679 kilometres (24,655 mi)[5]
Inclination62.8 degrees[5]
Period717.56 minutes[5]
 

Kosmos 1188 (Russian: Космос 1188 meaning Cosmos 1188) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1980 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2] It re-entered on May 24, 2013.[4]

Kosmos 1188 was launched from Site 41/3 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian SSR.[3] A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 20:52 UTC on 14 June 1980.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1980-050A.[5] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 11844.[5]

Its June 1980 launch was noted for triggering reports of a dolphin shaped UFO.[6] The launch created so many UFO reports, they revealed the satellite's approximate orbital inclination (about 62.5 degrees).[7] Some of the sightings may have been sunlight reflecting of fourth-stage exhaust contrails.[7] NBC noted the sightings's appearance in the Weinstein list.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 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.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  3. 1 2 3 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Aerospace.org - Cosmos 1188". Archived from the original on 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Antony Milne (2002). Sky Static: The Space Debris Crisis. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-275-97749-8.
  7. 1 2 "J. Oberg - FATE ( January 1983)". Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
  8. ↑ J. Oberg - 10 solved UFO mysteries from the Weinstein List - NBC News


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