Author Topic: Rokot/Briz-KM with 3xRodnik and Kosmos 2499 satellites - May 23, 2014  (Read 37084 times)

Offline jcm

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The mystery satellite 2014-28E from the May launch has been changing orbit, as was first noted I think by the Novosti Kosmonavtiki folks. It was speculated that it was going to make a rendezvous with the Briz-M stage http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/forum12/topic14232/?PAGEN_1=5.

Over a series of 7 burns from Jul 2 to Aug 8, the object has changed its orbit from 1477 x 1511 km to 1120 x 1490 km.
The Briz-M stage from the same launch is in an 1150 x 1504 km orbit following a depletion burn on the day of launch.

The objects are several degrees apart in orbital plane for now.

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Offline jcm

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Now (Aug 25) after two further perigee lowering burns, 2014-28E is in a 925 x 1487 km orbit.
Perhaps testing a new propulsion system?
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Offline VDD1991

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Your guess is as good as mine. Since none of the previous launches with the Breeze-KM upper stage have produced debris, I have to agree with you that 2014-028E is an-as-yet unannounced experimental satellite (as was case for 2013-076E).

Offline Star One

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Rokot/Briz-KM with Kosmos (3xRodnik) satellites - May 23, 2014
« Reply #23 on: 10/30/2014 05:39 pm »
Article on the mysterious Kosmos 2499 carried on this launch.

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/Cosmos-2499.html
« Last Edit: 10/30/2014 05:39 pm by Star One »

Online Liss

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They finally met yesterday. From TLEs of doubtful quality and age, minimal distance was within 3 km.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Online Liss

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Answered a reporter -- may use freely.

Quote
First, the object reported by FT does exist and it (she?) indeed performed a series of maneuvers between June and November 2014 to reach its rocket stage, Briz-KM, with possible close flyby on November 9 and a possible close re-approach in the near future. All this is easily seen from evolution of orbital elements for the two available from the USSTRATCOM.

Second, it was not any new in space. A tiny British satellite SNAP-1 attempted such a feat and almost succeeded in the summer of 2000. The U.S. performed such maneuvers at least twice in their DART/MUBLCOM (2005) and  ASTRO/NEXTSAT (2007) missions. China performed at least three such missions, namely Shijian 12 (August and November 2010), Shijan 9 (October 2012) and Shijian 15/Shiyan 7 (since July 2013).

Third, you should check about Russian military space missions with relevant PR offices of the Ministry of Defence and Federal Space Agency. I would not comment on these.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline input~2

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FT article:
Object 2014-28E – Space junk or Russian satellite killer?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cdd0bdb6-6c27-11e4-990f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JQ0OGc2A

Offline input~2

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From UN Office for Outer Space Affairs registration:
International Designator:      [2014-028E]
Name of Space Object:         COSMOS 2499
State/ Organization:             Russian Federation
Date of Launch:                   23/05/2014
UN Registered:                    Yes
Document of Registration:     ST/SG/SER.E/728 
Status:                               in orbit
Function of Space Object:     Intended for assignments on behalf of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Remarks:                            The document for this regsitration submission is presently being processed by the United Nations Secretariat.

Offline russianhalo117

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BUMP:
Kosmos 2499 Payload Started Morse Code Transmissions of TLM on Sunday:

November 25 encounter, new moves, transmissions

The mysterious Kosmos-2499 made another close pass near Briz-KM on November 25, 2014. The subsequent modeling of the pair's motion by Russian observers based on available orbital elements data indicated that Kosmos-2499 had come within 526 meters from Briz-KM at a relative speed of just 0.064 meters per second at 05:54 Moscow Time. The spacecraft spent most of the day maneuvering at a distance from a half a kilometer to one kilometer from its target.

After several days of orbiting the Earth at an average altitude from 20 to 30 meters below Briz-KM, Kosmos-2499 climbed few dozen of meters above the stage on November 29, 2014, estimates showed. A day later, to the surprise and delight of the amateur radio enthusiasts around the world, the mystery satellite started transmitting telemetry in Morse code under a call sign RS-47, a Russian amateur radio enthusiast Dmitry Pashkov reported. (Pashkov first detected mysterious signals that he had eventually traced to Kosmos-2499 in the summer of 2014.)

R4UAB: COSMOS 2499 (2014-028E) 2014.11.20 18:54 UTC


This radio-signature was typical of all satellites based on the Yubileiny platform -- another evidence of the similarity between Kosmos-2499 and its potential civilian cousins.

What makes it move?

A relatively small size of the mysterious Kosmos-2499 satellite combined with a great deal of its maneuvering in orbit made some observers wonder about the type of the propulsion system employed in the mission. Unsubstantiated claims were made on the Internet that the spacecraft could carry some super-efficient ion engines to perform its complex orbital dance.

According to estimates, all the maneuvers by Kosmos-2499 that have been detected from the ground over a six-month period resulted in an estimated velocity change (or delta V) totaling 190 meters per second. Assuming that the spacecraft had a mass of around 50 kilograms, like its potential civilian cousin, Yubileiny satellite, and the specific impulse of its engine was around 300 seconds, almost half of its "content" would have to be propellant, one observer of the mission on the online forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine estimated. However with a specific impulse of 2,100 meters per second only 10 percent of its mass would have to be dedicated to propellant, Igor Lisov, the editor at Novosti Kosmonavtiki estimated.

Most importantly, short-duration maneuvers reaching 30 meters per second separated by hours of passive flight observed during the flight of Kosmos-2499 betray the action of a traditional liquid propellant engine onboard the spacecraft, rather than the work of ion-electric engines, which produce low but continuous thrust. As a result, Kosmos-2499 likely made its spectacular performance with traditional rocket engines, Lisov said.

LINKS (Related to this Targeting Platform):
http://russianspaceweb.com/Cosmos-2499.html#1125
http://russianspaceweb.com/naryad.html
http://russianspaceweb.com/yubileiny.html

« Last Edit: 12/02/2014 05:39 pm by russianhalo117 »

Offline russianhalo117

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BUMP:
Kosmos 2499 Payload Started Morse Code Transmissions of TLM on Sunday:

November 25 encounter, new moves, transmissions

The mysterious Kosmos-2499 made another close pass near Briz-KM on November 25, 2014. The subsequent modeling of the pair's motion by Russian observers based on available orbital elements data indicated that Kosmos-2499 had come within 526 meters from Briz-KM at a relative speed of just 0.064 meters per second at 05:54 Moscow Time. The spacecraft spent most of the day maneuvering at a distance from a half a kilometer to one kilometer from its target.

After several days of orbiting the Earth at an average altitude from 20 to 30 meters below Briz-KM, Kosmos-2499 climbed few dozen of meters above the stage on November 29, 2014, estimates showed. A day later, to the surprise and delight of the amateur radio enthusiasts around the world, the mystery satellite started transmitting telemetry in Morse code under a call sign RS-47, a Russian amateur radio enthusiast Dmitry Pashkov reported. (Pashkov first detected mysterious signals that he had eventually traced to Kosmos-2499 in the summer of 2014.)

R4UAB: COSMOS 2499 (2014-028E) 2014.11.20 18:54 UTC


This radio-signature was typical of all satellites based on the Yubileiny platform -- another evidence of the similarity between Kosmos-2499 and its potential civilian cousins.

What makes it move?

A relatively small size of the mysterious Kosmos-2499 satellite combined with a great deal of its maneuvering in orbit made some observers wonder about the type of the propulsion system employed in the mission. Unsubstantiated claims were made on the Internet that the spacecraft could carry some super-efficient ion engines to perform its complex orbital dance.

According to estimates, all the maneuvers by Kosmos-2499 that have been detected from the ground over a six-month period resulted in an estimated velocity change (or delta V) totaling 190 meters per second. Assuming that the spacecraft had a mass of around 50 kilograms, like its potential civilian cousin, Yubileiny satellite, and the specific impulse of its engine was around 300 seconds, almost half of its "content" would have to be propellant, one observer of the mission on the online forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine estimated. However with a specific impulse of 2,100 meters per second only 10 percent of its mass would have to be dedicated to propellant, Igor Lisov, the editor at Novosti Kosmonavtiki estimated.

Most importantly, short-duration maneuvers reaching 30 meters per second separated by hours of passive flight observed during the flight of Kosmos-2499 betray the action of a traditional liquid propellant engine onboard the spacecraft, rather than the work of ion-electric engines, which produce low but continuous thrust. As a result, Kosmos-2499 likely made its spectacular performance with traditional rocket engines, Lisov said.

LINKS (Related to this Targeting Platform):
http://russianspaceweb.com/Cosmos-2499.html#1125
http://russianspaceweb.com/naryad.html
http://russianspaceweb.com/yubileiny.html
And Kosmos-2491 the day after:

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Roskosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko denied today that Kosmos-2491 and Kosmos-2499 are "killer satellites" or have any relation to the country's military space program. He described them as scientific satellites in a joint effort between Roskosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences and added that they have completed their intended flight programs. Ostapenko also said that in November Russia submitted a document to the UN forbidding the deployment of weapons in space and doing something that would violate that initiative "would be incorrect".

http://itar-tass.com/kosmos/1647008
http://rusnovosti.ru/news/357447/


Offline jcm

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Roskosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko denied today that Kosmos-2491 and Kosmos-2499 are "killer satellites" or have any relation to the country's military space program. He described them as scientific satellites in a joint effort between Roskosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences and added that they have completed their intended flight programs. Ostapenko also said that in November Russia submitted a document to the UN forbidding the deployment of weapons in space and doing something that would violate that initiative "would be incorrect".

http://itar-tass.com/kosmos/1647008
http://rusnovosti.ru/news/357447/



Would be more convincing if he described the scientific instruments or even specified some general scientific subject area that they are designed for...
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Offline anik

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Would be more convincing if he described the scientific instruments or even specified some general scientific subject area that they are designed for...

Jonathan, the problem is that he does not know what he was asked about and does not know what he is talking about.

Offline Skyrocket

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Roskosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko denied today that Kosmos-2491 and Kosmos-2499 are "killer satellites" or have any relation to the country's military space program. He described them as scientific satellites in a joint effort between Roskosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences and added that they have completed their intended flight programs. Ostapenko also said that in November Russia submitted a document to the UN forbidding the deployment of weapons in space and doing something that would violate that initiative "would be incorrect".

http://itar-tass.com/kosmos/1647008
http://rusnovosti.ru/news/357447/



Would be more convincing if he described the scientific instruments or even specified some general scientific subject area that they are designed for...


Likely the Russian equivalents to the US XSS-11 satellite, for which also allegations to be a "killer satellite" circulated in the media.

Offline Stan Black

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So why give them Kosmos names?

Offline aga

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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1622753441993957378

Quote
This is the second breakup of Kosmos-2499, after the first one on 2021 Oct 23.

twitter.com/18thsds/status/1622752004388032512

Quote
#18SDS has confirmed the breakup of COSMOS 2499 (#39765, 2014-028E) - occurred Jan 4, 2023 at appx 0357 UTC. Tracking 85 associated pieces at est 1169 km altitude - analysis ongoing. #spacedebris #space @SpaceTrackOrg @US_SpaceCom @ussfspoc

Offline B. Hendrickx

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The first fragmentation event on 23 October 2021 generated 22 pieces of debris.

As a reminder, the first of the Rokot-launched "inspection satellites" (Kosmos-2491) also broke up in orbit. This happened in December 2019, six years after its launch. A total of 26 fragments were catalogued from that event.

Since this has now happened to two satellites of this type, chances that the break-ups were caused by the impact of space debris must be considered very small. It has been speculated that these satellites carry a self-destruct mechanism, but that is not likely either for a variety of reasons. A more plausible explanation for the break-ups is that either tanks or batteries explode after lengthy exposure to space conditions (not unprecedented in the history of satellite fragmentations). These satellites (designated 14F153) carry thermocatalytic hydrazine thrusters of OKB Fakel (designated К50-10.6), hydrazine tanks (MVSK 84) of NIIMash and lithium-ion batteries (4LI-20/LIGP-20) of PAO Saturn. All of these were flown for the first time on these satellites.

The third and final Rokot-launched 14F153 satellite (Kosmos-2504) is still in one piece, but it may eventually befall the same fate as its two predecessors.   

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Kosmos-2499 and its predecessor Kosmos-2491 were unique among the so-called “inspector satellites” in that they transmitted signals on radio amateur frequencies. Some additional information on this aspect of their mission turns out to be available on the website of the Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology (SibGU) in Krasnoyarsk. This also provides further proof that these satellites were built by the CNIIHM institute in Moscow.

According to the website, the university signed an agreement with CNIIHM on December 17, 2013 for “the control of two small satellites with the help of the ground-based DOKA-N ultra-shortwave system”, which is installed at SibGU’s so-called “student mission control center” (STsUP).

https://eniseyarctika.sibsau.ru/page/scientific-educational-centers
(see the STsUP page)

STsUP was set up at the university in 2007 and has been used by students to communicate with satellites such as Mozhayets, Mozhayets-2, Chibis, Aist-1, Aist-2 and Aist-2D, all built jointly by space enterprises and universities (including SibGU itself). Other Russian universities also have such small mission control centers outfitted with the DOKA-N equipment. “DOKA” stands for “remote servicing of satellites” and “N” for “ground-based”. DOKA-N is used to communicate with a payload on these satellites known as DOKA-B (“B” standing for “on-board”). According to SibGU’s website, DOKA-N can be used to interact with satellites orbiting at altitudes between 400 and 1,000 km with inclinations between 50° and 98° (but other sources give the maximum altitude as 2,000 km). The uplink and downlink frequency bands are given as 145.8-146 MHz and 435.3-435.5 MHz respectively, which are earmarked for “experimental radio communications” (these are frequencies typically used by radio amateurs).

The two CNIIHM satellites are not identified, but there can be little doubt that these were Kosmos-2491 and 2499, launched piggyback into 1,500 km orbits by Rokot launch vehicles on December 25, 2013 and May 24, 2015. They were observed to transmit on radio amateur frequencies  (435.465 and 435.565 MHz) with the callsigns RS-46 and RS-47. These callsigns are seen in a YouTube video of STsUP, more particularly on a computer screen showing orbit parameters of satellites that it was tracking in April 2018 (see attachment 1).  Kosmos-2491 and 2499 are no longer active, with both having suffered break-up events in recent years. The SibGU website says work on the contract with CNIIHM is “still underway”, but it has probably not been updated for a long time.

The signals transmitted by the satellites on these frequencies contained telemetry, at least some of which could be deciphered by Russian radio amateurs using a manual for an earlier radio amateur payload (RS-39 on Chibis-M). However, the agreement between CNIIHM and the Siberian university must have been signed to allow the Siberian students to interact with the satellites in a way that was not possible for regular radio amateurs. The website talks about “controlling” the satellites, which suggests that they were given permission to uplink commands to the satellites in the 145.8-146 MHz frequency range. Whatever they were allowed to do, it is hard to imagine that it had anything to do with the classified aspects of these missions. Presumably, DOKA-B was a secondary payload not involved in the satellites’ primary mission. Later inspection satellites did not transmit on these radio amateur frequencies.

The fact that Kosmos-2491 and 2499 transmitted on amateur frequencies was discovered by amateurs in late 2014. At the same time, they also found that they sent down signals in the S-band on 2280 MHz, a frequency used by subsequent inspector satellites as well.  Like the DOKA-B transmitter, the S-band transmitter was switched on when the satellites came within range of Russian ground stations.

These discoveries were widely reported at the time, but what seems to have gone virtually unnoticed is what a Czech radio amateur posted on his website in December 2014:
https://www.r00t.cz/Sats/Cosmos2499

He found that the satellites transmitted in the S-band in both fast and slow mode and that Kosmos-2499 used its high-rate S-band downlink to relay black-and-white images, one of which (attached here) he published with the following comment:

Quote
Cosmos-2499
Presence of high rate downlink indicates some sort of payload that requires high amount of data to be transferred. On several passes, data that looked like image data were downloaded. Seems to be 3 channels of B/W image at various gain levels. Resulution of one image is 854x1284 pixels. Images seems to be taken at pre-set intervals, so they capture random view without any specific orientation. Almost all were almost completely black, with following exception.
This image seems to show sun disc on the right side with some lens flare effects on the bottom left. Another possible object is visible in center left part of image.

Unlike Kosmos-2491, which flew solo during its entire mission, Kosmos-2499 performed rendezvous and proximity operations with the Briz-KM upper stage of its Rokot launch vehicle. It may well have used the on-board camera to take close-up pictures of the upper stage. Interestingly, Kosmos-2499 made several close passes to the upper stage in the weeks before the picture was posted. This raises the possibility that the bright object seen in the right corner of the image is that upper stage, although this is, of course, impossible to tell for sure. The radio amateur speculated it was the Sun, but was seemingly unaware of the satellite’s rendezvous operations and the picture never caught anyone’s attention.  Whatever it shows, the fact that an amateur was able to decipher what would appear to be classified imagery is remarkable in itself.   


Tags: breeze-km r/b 
 

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