Author Topic: Reshetnev Satellites  (Read 60868 times)

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #60 on: 07/12/2017 04:07 pm »
Thank you Mr. Hendrickx. I do not speak Russian and was totally baffled with the two near identical documents.

Also looking at the format of other contract numbers Repei could be № З/2/1/16-14-ДОГОЗ. That is not a 3 at the start. The 14 is for the year.

Examples:-

№ З/2/1/12-14-ДОГОЗ от 27.08.2014 г.
Satellites Bars-M №3 to №6

№ З/2/1/11-14-ДОГОЗ от 01.09.2014 г.
Satellites Lotos-S №803, №804 and №805

№ Н/2/2/05-11-ДОГОЗ от 14.04.2011 г.
Blagovest

№ Н/2/2/07-11-ДОГОЗ от 21.12.2011 г.
Sfera

№ Р/2/2/01-11-ДОГОЗ от 28.02.2011 г.
Launch of Meridian № 15 and Kosmos-2479

Offline Liss

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #61 on: 07/12/2017 05:54 pm »
If I get it right, we’re talking about the following contracts then:

28 April 2014 : contract N/2/1/5/14 between ISS Reshetnev and the Ministry of Defence on the Akvarel project
This is the one that S.V. Vysotskiy was involved in as “leading manager” of Akvarel

1 September 2014 : contract N/3/2/1/16 between ISS Reshetnev and the Ministry of Defence on Repei
This is the one that A.L. Ivlev was involved in as “leading manager of theme 777” (which may be the code name for Repei)

It's not easy to extract reliable information from texts so badly written but my impression was that correct numbers are

N/2/1/5-14 and
Z/2/1/16-14

where 14 means 2014.
This message reflects my personal opinion based on open sources of information.

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #62 on: 07/17/2017 03:17 pm »
Can anyone who understands Russian, access this document?
http://sudact.ru/regular/doc/bttsgnjVsplV/

I can only see it in Google cache.

It is a court judgement. I don’t understand the connection between the codes 14К166 and 14Ф149? Is 14К166 the entire system that includes the 14Ф149 Blagovest satellite?

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #63 on: 07/17/2017 09:14 pm »
Can anyone who understands Russian, access this document?
http://sudact.ru/regular/doc/bttsgnjVsplV/

I can only see it in Google cache.

It is a court judgement. I don’t understand the connection between the codes 14К166 and 14Ф149? Is 14К166 the entire system that includes the 14Ф149 Blagovest satellite?

Yes, that is how I would interpret this too.
I may have to read this more carefully, but apparently the original plan was to install the Mission Control Centre for 14F149/Blagovest in facilities that had earlier been earmarked for the Labirint-(V) project (which I think is also referred to in the document as 14K034, although that is open to interpretation). Labirint is described as having been suspended  (Labirint was earlier rumoured to be a SIGINT system). The MCC was to be located at "Object 413" of the Ministry of Defence, more particulary in Building nr. 31 (and the individual rooms in that building are also identified). However, more recently it was decided to install the control facilities at Building nr. 41A (also at Object 413), which was supposed to act as the control centre for the Kanopus-ST satellite (lost after launch in December 2015). This apparently is less costly than modifying the control rooms originally planned for Labirint.

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #64 on: 07/21/2017 12:46 pm »
From Geofizika-Kosmos 2015 and 2016 annual reports comes confirmation of something called Olimp-1, sometimes abbreviated to O-1.
https://disclosure.1prime.ru/portal/default.aspx?emId=7718649612
« Last Edit: 07/22/2017 09:38 am by Stan Black »

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #65 on: 11/13/2017 08:30 pm »
https://iz.ru/669012/dmitrii-strugovetc-aleksei-ramm/repei-uznaet-chuzhie-sekrety

Izvestia quotes a source within the Russian Air and Space Forces as saying that the first launch of ISS Reshetnyov's Repei signals intelligence satellite is scheduled for next year. This has not been confirmed by ISS Reshetnyov. The article says a model of the satellite was shown at a recent exhibition of the Ministry of Defense, but no further details are given beyond what was already known following Defense Minister Shoigu's visit to ISS Reshetnyov last June (see the discussion earlier in this thread).

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #66 on: 12/03/2017 10:21 am »
So this is a list of upcoming satellites from ISS Reshetnyov.

 
 
 
 
SatelliteBlagovestКА 14Ф149 «Благовест» 
Units№12, №13, №14№12, №13, №143
Launch vehicleProton-M rocket
Briz-M upper stage
14S75.15 type fairing
РН 8К82КМ «Протон-М»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С75.15
КК 14К166
Contract Н/2/2/05-11-ДОГОЗ от 14.04.2011г. 
FunctionCommunications  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteSfera-SКА 14Ф151 «Сфера-С»КС 14К044
Units№11, №12№11, №122
Launch vehicleAngara-A5 rocket
Briz-M upper stage
Fairing type 14S746
РН 14А127 «Ангара-А5»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С746
КК 14К169
Contract Н/2/2/07-11-ДОГОЗ от 21.12.2011г. 
FunctionCommunications  
NotesReplacement for Raduga-1M  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteSfera-VКА 14Ф152 «Сфера-В» 
Units№11, №12№11, №122
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
NotesReplacement for Meridian  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteGerakl-KVКА «Геракл-КВ» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionRelay  
NotesReplacement for Garpun  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteMeridianКА 14Ф112 «Меридиан»  
Units №18, №19, №20, №214
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
NotesReplacement Meridians, due delay in Sfera-V  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteGLONASSКА 14Ф143 ГЛОНАСС 
Units №13, №14, №15, №16, №17, №18, №19, №20, №219
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionNavigation  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteOlimp-1КА «Олимп-1» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionSignals intelligence  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
Satellite КА 763 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
Function   
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteYenisei-A1КА «Енисей-А1» 
Units№11, №12№11, №123 planned
Launch vehicle   
Contract №307-8559/12 от 19.09.2012г.
№307-5025/12 от 25.09.2012г.
№307-0307/16/167 от 25.10.2016г.
№307-0216/17/164 от 28.08.2017г.
 
FunctionMobile communicationsССКМС 
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEllipsКА «Эллипс» 
Units№11, №12№11, №124 planned
Launch vehicle   
Contract №307-8559/12 от 19.09.2012г.
№307-5025/12 от 25.09.2012г.
№307-0307/16/167 от 25.10.2016г.
№307-0216/17/164 от 28.08.2017г.
 
FunctionMobile communicationsССКМС 
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteRepei-SКА «Репей-С» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionSignals intelligence  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteRepei-VКА «Репей-В» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionSignals intelligence  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEkspress-AMU3КА «Экспресс-АМУ3» 
Units   
Launch vehicleProton-M rocket
Briz-M upper stage
14S75.15 type fairing
РН 8К82КМ «Протон-М»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С75.15
 
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
NotesReplacement for Ekspress-AM33  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEkspress-AMU4КА «Экспресс-АМУ4» 
Units   
Launch vehicleProton-M rocket
Briz-M upper stage
14S75.15 type fairing
РН 8К82КМ «Протон-М»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С75.15
 
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
NotesReplacement for Ekspress-AM44  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEkspress-AMU7КА «Экспресс-АМУ7» 
Units   
Launch vehicleProton-M rocket
Briz-M upper stage
14S75.15 type fairing
РН 8К82КМ «Протон-М»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С75.15
 
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEkspress-80КА «Экспресс-80» 
Units   
Launch vehicleProton-M rocket
Briz-M upper stage
14S75.15 type fairing
РН 8К82КМ «Протон-М»
РБ 14С43 «Бриз-М»
ГО 14С75.15
 
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
SatelliteEkspress-103КА «Экспресс-103» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
NotesShared launch with Ekspress-80  
 
 
 
 
SatelliteYamal-601КА «Ямал-601» 
Units   
Launch vehicle   
Contract   
FunctionCommunications  
Notes   
 
 
 
 
   XXXXXXXXXXXXX
« Last Edit: 01/06/2018 04:21 pm by Stan Black »

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #67 on: 02/01/2018 09:26 pm »
This year Reshetnyov plan to send to Plesetsk, Meridian №18, Rodnik blok №16 and GLONASS-K №15. To Baikonur Blagovest №13Л and №14Л.
Quote
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф112М №18 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф132 бл.№16 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф143 №15 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки КА 14Ф132 бл.16 на к. «Плесецк» ВС ИЛ-76
Организация доставки КА 14Ф149 №13Л на к. «Байконур» и возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки КА 14Ф149 №14Л на к. «Байконур» и возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС»
Проведение испытаний 14Ф151.3410-0
http://www.zakupki.gov.ru/223/plan/public/plan/info/actual-positions.html?planId=399331&planInfoId=2218816&versioned=&activeTab=4&epz=true
« Last Edit: 02/01/2018 09:47 pm by Stan Black »

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #68 on: 02/05/2018 06:29 pm »
14K048 Repei
« Last Edit: 02/05/2018 06:40 pm by Stan Black »

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #69 on: 06/01/2019 03:33 pm »
This year Reshetnyov plan to send to Plesetsk, Meridian №18, Rodnik blok №16 and GLONASS-K №15. To Baikonur Blagovest №13Л and №14Л.
Quote
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф112М №18 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф132 бл.№16 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки возвратной тары из-под КА 14Ф143 №15 с к. «Плесецк» в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки КА 14Ф132 бл.16 на к. «Плесецк» ВС ИЛ-76
Организация доставки КА 14Ф149 №13Л на к. «Байконур» и возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС»
Организация доставки КА 14Ф149 №14Л на к. «Байконур» и возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС»
Проведение испытаний 14Ф151.3410-0
http://www.zakupki.gov.ru/223/plan/public/plan/info/actual-positions.html?planId=399331&planInfoId=2218816&versioned=&activeTab=4&epz=true

This year:-
Quote
Организация доставки КА ГЛОНАСС №16 на космодром «Плесецк» и возврат транспортировочного контейнера в АО «ИСС» ВС ИЛ-76
Организация доставки КА ГЛОНАСС №13 на космодром «Архангельск» и возврат транспортировочного контейнера в АО «ИСС» ВС АН-124
Организация доставки КА 14Ф112М №19 на космодром «Плесецк» и возврат транспортировочного контейнера в АО «ИСС» ВС ИЛ-76
Организация доставки КА «Lybid» на космодром «Байконур» и возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС» ВС АН-124
Организация доставки МПН КА «Экспресс-80», КА «Экспресс-103» на космодром «Байконур» возврат транспортировочной тары в АО «ИСС» ВС АН-124
рганизация доставки КА «14Ф31» № 13 и возврат транспортировочного контейнера в АО «ИСС» ВС ИЛ-76
« Last Edit: 06/02/2019 06:43 am by Stan Black »

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #70 on: 11/01/2019 11:51 am »
Here is some new information on military satellites being developed by ISS Reshetnev.

ISPOLIN

First of all, a hitherto unknown project called “Ispolin” (“Giant”) has shown up in a handful of online sources.

http://www.rusea.info/eoaywinners/11992

Here the name is seen in a brief bio of an ISS Reshetnev designer named Yuri Oberemok (published in 2018). He is said to be taking part in the development of “communications satellites Repei, Yenisei-2, Sfera, Gerakl, Ispolin and the space observatory Millimetron”.   

http://www.keldysh.ru/microsatellites/Shestoperov_CV.pdf

This is the CV of a researcher of the Keldysh Insitute of Applied Mathematics (IPM) named Aleksei Shestopyorov. One of the research projects he’s been involved in is called Ispolin-IPM, described as “the study of the dynamics of the orientation and stabilization system of spacecraft with large-size non-rigid construction elements”.

A research project with exactly the same name is seen in the CV of another IPM researcher, Danil Ivanov:

http://www.keldysh.ru/microsatellites/Ivanov_CV_rus.pdf
Quote
- (2017-2019) "Исследование динамики системы ориентации и стабилизации космических аппаратов с крупногабаритными нежесткими элементами конструкции", контракт No 1719187308551452246001974/320-8/17 с АО “ИСС”, Исполнитель 

- (2014-2015) "Разработка алгоритмов управления систем ориентации и стабилизации космических аппаратов с нежесткими крупногабаритными элементами конструкции", контракт No 770/770/98 с ОАО ИСС им. М.Ф. Решетнёва, Исполнитель. 

- (2014-2015)"Разработка методик высокоточного определения ориентации и управления низкоорбитальным КА с применением фильтра Калмана", контракт No 770/766/56 с ОАО ИСС им. М.Ф. Решетнёва, Ответственный исполнитель 

The name “Ispolin” is not mentioned here, but the period of the research is given as 2017-2019. Ivanov was also involved in two other ISS Reshetnev projects in 2014-2015. No names are given for those either, but the first one is also related to orientation and stabilization systems for spacecraft with “non-rigid large-size construction elements” and the second one had to with similar systems for “low-orbiting satellites”. The contract numbers given for these two projects are also seen in the CVs of two other IPM researchers and are linked there to Gerakl (“Hercules”) and Akvarel (“Watercolor”) respectively.

https://www.keldysh.ru/microsatellites/Roldugin_CV.pdf
(Gerakl-IPM)
https://www.keldysh.ru/microsatellites/Tkachev_CV.pdf
(Akvarel-IPM)

Gerakl (sometimes also referred to Gerakl-KV) is a top-secret communications satellite that has been mentioned in just a few sources since 2014. The official start date of the project is unknown. One source described it as a successor to the military Garpun data relay satellites.
https://www.ksc.ru/docs/trudy/info/trudy_5_2014(24).pdf
(see p. 44) 
(by the way, the same article also mentions a successor for the low-orbiting Rodnik store/dump communications satellites called “Klyuch” (“Key”))

As is known from one court document, Akvarel  is a low-Earth orbit signals intelligence satellite with a payload built by TsNIRTI in Moscow. The project got underway on 28 April 2014.
https://sudact.ru/regular/doc/2xgVt4pMICY4/
It is not quite clear how it will complement KB Arsenal’s Lotos-S SIGINT satellites, which also operate in relatively low orbits.

With the two other projects identified as Gerakl and Akvarel, there can be little doubt that the one that Ivanov worked on in 2017-2019 must be Ispolin.  The contract number given in the CV (1719187308551452246001974) makes it possible to find several procurement documents for Ispolin on the zakupki.gov.ru website (even though the name Ispolin doesn’t show up in any of them).

http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=4100199
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=4440091
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=4492341
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=4530649
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=4544619
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=5811089

These show that the project officially got underway on 26 May 2017 with a contract signed between ISS Reshetnev and the Ministry of Defense. Most of them are related to the testing of stationary plasma engines of the Keldysh Research Center called  KM-75. Involved in these tests is the Moscow Aviation Institute, which signed a contract with ISS Reshetnev for this work on 1 June 2017. The tests took place in vacuum chambers called KVU-90 (at the Keldysh Research Center) and GVU-600 (at ISS Reshetnev).

There is conflicting information on the capacity of the KM-75 thrusters. Some describe it as a 95mN thrust engine at 2.3 kW.  At the 2017 IAF Congress it was described as “an 800 volt engine” which was nearly ready for production after qualification tests of an experimental model.
https://tass.ru/kosmos/4588930

The KM-75 engine has been mentioned in at least two ISS Reshetnev papers.
http://files.mai.ru/site/conf/aik/2017/abstracts.pdf
(p. 92-93 : in Russian and English)

This one describes its possible use on an Express-1000 platform in conjunction with OKB Fakel’s  SPD-140D stationary plasma thrusters. The Fakel engine would be used to deliver the satellite to geostationary orbit and the Keldysh engine for orbit corrections in GEO.

https://vestnik.sibsau.ru/en_US/vestnik/808/
This paper (in English) says a combination of eight KM-75 thrusters could be used for both orbit raising and orbit corrections for a satellite using all-electric propulsion.

Another subcontractor for Ispolin identified in the procurement documentation on zakupki.gov.ru is the Zuyev Institute of Atmospheric Optics in Tomsk, Siberia. Its role is apparently to study the effects of solar light pressure on big antenna structures. See this joint paper by experts of the institute and ISS Reshetnev (in English)
https://symp.iao.ru/files/symp/ampl/14/presentation_11849.pdf

The Ispolin contract number also shows up in two other sources:

- on the website of the Institute of Computing Technologies of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
http://www.ict.nsc.ru/ru/science/project-show?id=277

This reveals that the institute signed a contract with ISS Reshetnev in February 2018 to assist in the development of the antenna deployment system.

- on the website of the Kazan National Research Technical University.  This shows that Ispolin will have an antenna operating in the P-band.


In short, it looks like Ispolin (and Gerakl) will be equipped with some type of large-size antenna (and so, for a change, the names of Russian satellites (“Giant” and “Hercules”) actually seem to make sense). For the past few years ISS Reshetnev has been studying large-size antennas with diameters of about 12 m, 24 m and 48 m. See for instance a slide from a 2018 ISS Reshetnev presentation in attachment 1:
https://aviatp.ru/files/aviaevents/Armiya-2018_pres/3_Vyzovy_i_perspektivy_VI_Khalimanovich_ISS.pdf

Gerakl and Ispolin could potentially carry any of these antennas.

The 48 meter antenna was studied under a research project called Pribor-(Reflektor) for which ISS Reshetnev signed a contract with Roscosmos on 19 September 2012.  The tender documentation (including technical specifications) is here:
http://zakupki.gov.ru/pgz/public/action/orders/info/order_document_list_info/show?source=epz&notificationId=3885465

According to the documentation, the antenna was to operate in the P and L bands (frequency range 0.2 -2.0 GHz) and an “experimental model” was to be developed by the end of 2015. It looks like that goal was achieved. The antenna is seen in this television report aired in 2015, devoted to the 5th anniversary of a large dome-shaped building (“Hangar 032) that ISS Reshetnev finished in 2010 for testing of large structures such as antennas and solar panels:


(1:15 to 1:30)

The backbone structure of this antenna is being developed by the Scientific Center of Applied Electrodynamics (NTs PE). See the slide in attachment 2.
http://mr.ifmo.ru/files/2017/scae.pdf

Antennas measuring 12 m and 22 m in diameter are being developed under a project called Reflektor-2025, for which ISS Reshetnev was awarded a contract in 2016. The tender documentation (including technical specifications) is here:
http://zakupki.gov.ru/epz/order/notice/ok44/view/documents.html?regNumber=0995000000216000085

This calls for building “experimental versions” of the antennas by the end of 2025. These are seemingly intended for the Confidential Mobile Communication Satellite System (SSKMS), a constellation of satellites in both highly elliptical and geostationary orbits. The original contract for SSKMS was signed between Roscosmos and ISS Reshetnev on 25 September 2012, but the project seems to have experienced lengthy delays.

At this point, it remains unclear which antenna Ispolin will carry and what exactly the satellite will be used for.


OLIMP-K

In the Olimp-K thread I recently wrote that there was evidence for the presence of two antennas on the Olimp-K satellite, namely a 12m antenna for “personal mobile communications” and a 2.2 meter Ku-band antenna: 
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=34315.100

When I posted the same information on the NK forum, an ISS Reshetnev insider replied that neither of these antennas are actually on board Olimp-K. The Ku-band antenna was definitely intended for Olimp-K, but somehow never made it into space. The payloads carried by Olimp-K therefore remain a mystery.

MERIDIAN-M

There is a significant amount of procurement documentation on Russia’s government procurement website that is based on a contract signed between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev on 29 March 2016  (contract number  1619187308361452246001779). The documentation does not mention a project name, but one of the documents refers to an on-board radio complex called 14R57 (Tsitron). It is known from other sources that this is the on-board radio complex of the Meridian satellites. Therefore, it looks like the contract signed in March 2016 is for the modified Meridian-M (14F112M) satellites.

According to a TASS report last May four Meridian-M satellites were ordered in 2017 (which somehow does not correspond with the contract date). The report quoted ISS Reshetnev director Testoyedov as saying the first one would be finished in late 2018, the second in 2019, the third in 2020 and the fourth in 2022. Defense minister Shoigu said the two first would be launched before the end of 2019.

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/6495532

These are the Meridian satellites with serial numbers 18 to 21. Nr. 18 was launched on 30 July and recently published tender documentation for the transportation to Plesetsk of nr. 19 shows its launch can be expected shortly.

NEW INDEXES

A couple of new indexes for what appear to be military ISS Reshetnev projects have appeared online in recent months.
http://plesadm.ru/obshcestvennye-obsuzhdeniya.html

This is an announcement (dated 20 March 2019) of upcoming environmental impact hearings at Plesetsk. The announcement refers to “space communications complex 14K150”, “space complex 14K047” and “space system 14K048 with space complex 14K178 and space complex 14K179”.

These are the official Russian definitions for “space system” and “space complex”:

Space system (KS) : Set of one or several space complexes and special complexes intended to carry out purposeful tasks.

Space complex (KK) : set of functionally related orbital and ground-based technical assets, making it possible to carry out purposeful tasks based on the use of outer space both independently and as part of a space complex. A space complex may include spacecraft, orbit insertion preparation systems, spacecraft control systems, landing systems, buildings and supporting systems.

These definitions may raise more questions than they answer, but what is clear is that a “space system” is hierarchically higher than a “space complex”. Both “space systems” and “space complexes” have 14K designators (usually 14K0xx for “space systems” and 14K1xx for “space complexes”). There are also appear to be 14K designators for “rocket space complexes” (usually 14K2xx), which refer to the combination of the rocket and launch infrastructure for a specific project. Satellites get designators in the 14F series. In short, any given project may have several 14K and 14F designators.

14K150: since this is described as a communications satellite project, I’m assuming it is run by ISS Reshetnev, but it has not been directly linked to the the company. The designator shows up in two other online source:

https://www.hse.ru › data › 2013/05/31

This is the master thesis of a student at the Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (written in 2013). The thesis deals with a so-called “Mobile Ground-Based Satellite Station” (MNSS) called “Ritm” (Rhythm). At one point, the author writes that it is intended to exchange information “via satellite channels of the 14K150 space communications complex”.    A picture of the MNSS shows a military truck with a satellite dish mounted on the roof (see attachment 3). The author also links MNSS to a “communications system” called Resurs, developed by NII TP. No other information on “Ritm” or “Resurs” seems to be available.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/be/98/38/e7ea7a9a3ef46c/RU2548023C2.pdf
https://patents.google.com/patent/RU2548023C2/en

This patent filed in 2013 mentions the use of 14K150 as part of an “integrated communication system for surface ships”, adding that it would operate in the “decimeter waveband” (which is UHF).

All that can be deduced from this is that the 14K150 project got underway in or before 2013 and that it seems to be intended for communications with land and sea-based vehicles. Therefore, it could be a designator for the SSKMS mobile satellite communications project (started in 2012). 

14K048: this can be identified as the designator for the Repei signals intelligence project (based on a document that is no longer available online). The Repei constellation will consist of satellites in highly elliptical orbits (Repei-V) and geostationary orbits (Repei-S). It therefore looks like 14K178 and 14K179 are the “space complex” designators for these two components of the Repei project (although it is not clear which of the two stands for which component).

14K047/14F167: this index also shows up in procurement documentation published on zakupki.gov.ru in July and November 2018 and in March 2019.

http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31806737222
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31807164025
http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31907611803

No clues are given about the nature of this project, but the latest documentation talks about compiling a report “on readiness of space complex 14K047 with satellites 14F167 for test flights”. This would indicate the system is in an advanced state of development.

14F166 : finally, procurement documentation appeared online this September for “high-frequency tests” of an unidentified ISS Reshetnev satellite called 14F166. No other information on this satellite is available.

http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31908275269

Most likely, all of these are indexes for known projects, but not enough information is available yet to conclusively link them to any of those. So far no 14K and 14F indexes are known for Akvarel, Gerakl and Ispolin. The 14F designators for Repei-S and Repei-V are also unknown.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #71 on: 12/27/2019 01:23 pm »
Procurement documentation that appeared online earlier this year makes it possibly to determine the start date of the Gerakl-KV project.  Gerakl-KV is a military communications satellite under development at ISS Reshetnev. Little is known about it, except that it will have one or more large-size parabolic antennas. One source has described it as a successor to the military data relay satellites known as Garpun.
https://www.ksc.ru/docs/trudy/info/trudy_5_2014(24).pdf
(p. 44)

The name Gerakl-KV appears in a contract signed last April by OKB Fakel, a manufacturer of thermal catalytic thrusters and electric engines.

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?style44=false&id=6761486

This refers back to the original contract for the project between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev, which was signed on 28 April 2014, the official start date of the project. The contract number is 1421187312811010128000590/N/2/1/4-14-DOGOZ. On exactly the same day the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev signed a contract for yet another military space project called Akvarel (low-orbiting signals intelligence satellites with a payload manufactured by TsNIRTI). For Akvarel only the last part of the contract number is so far known (N/2/1/5-14-DOGOZ). See this court document:
 https://sudact.ru/regular/doc/2xgVt4pMICY4/


Now that the full contract number for Gerakl-KV is known, it is possible to find several other contracts related to this project, even though the name Gerakl-KV is not mentioned in any of them. These contracts have the same basic 25-digit number as the 28 April 2014 contract, followed by a slash and different numbers denoting the specific contract.

One, awarded by ISS Reshetnev, is for testing of foreign-built connectors for satellites designated 14F159 and 14F167. 14F167 has been identified as an ISS Reshetnev satellite before (see Reply #70 in this thread) and the index 14F159 is seen for the first time.

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=7595220

This means that Gerakl-KV must be either 14F159 or 14F167 or that two different satellites are being developed under this project (which seems unlikely).

Other subcontractors apart from OKB Fakel are:

- KB Khimmash (the former “Isayev bureau”, now part of the Khrunichev Center): presumably for maneuvering engines and/or thrusters, although the presence of propulsion systems of both OKB Fakel and KB Khimmash is somewhat puzzling. The contract between ISS Reshetnev and KB Khimmash was signed on 1 April 2017. KB Khimmash in turn signed a contract for Gerakl-KV with NIIEM on 26 February 2019 for the delivery of electric heaters.
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=6808215


- NPP Kvant: presumably for the photovoltaic cells of the solar panels. Another company known to be involved in Gerakl-KV, PAO Saturn, is likely to provide the storage batteries. The contract between ISS Reshetnev and NPP Kvant was signed on 1 November 2017.
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=7362182


- NPP Geofizika-Kosmos : for the delivery of Sun and Earth sensors for the satellite’s orientation system  (this was already known from the company’s annual report for 2015)
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31806409392

- NPO PM MKB (a daughter company of ISS Reshetnev): its exact role in Gerakl-KV is not clear.
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31806643632


Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #72 on: 02/25/2020 01:11 pm »
Procurement documentation released by NPO PM MKB, a daughter company of ISS Reshetnev, makes it possible to identify with a fairly high degree of certainty two 14F indexes for military satellites being developed by ISS Reshetnev.  The contracts are presumably for ground equipment to test satellites or for containers needed to transport satellites.

14F158, an index not seen earlier, appears in documentation placed online last month:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=32008770030
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=32008768906

The project name is not given, but two of the documents have a file name that includes the number “777”. This is a code that has earlier been used for the Repei signals intelligence satellites. While “777” is not seen in the number of the original Repei contract signed between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev on September 1, 2014, it does appear in several follow-on contracts known to have been concluded under Repei. In addition to that, the Repei project is referred to as “Theme 777” in this court document:
https://sudact.ru/regular/doc/M8an8de4SFWQ/

The Repei constellation will consist of satellites in highly elliptical orbits (Repei-V) and geostationary orbit (Repei-S). These likely have two different 14F indexes. The same goes for the Sfera-V and Sfera-S communications satellites, which are 14F151 and 14F152 (or vice versa). It is impossible to say at this point if 14F158 is Repei-S or Repei-V.  The other 14F index for Repei may well be 14F159, which is known to be an ISS Reshetnev satellite (see the previous post in this thread). 

Another index, 14F167, had already been linked to an ISS Reshetnev satellite earlier. It was mentioned along with 14F159 in one document known to be related to Gerakl-KV (see the previous post). Gerakl-KV is probably a large communications satellite, possibly a successor of the Garpun military data relay satellites.

Several recent NPO PM MKB contracts now seem to confirm that 14F167 is Gerakl-KV.

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?d-2765352-p=2&regNumber=31908105278
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?d-2765352-p=2&regNumber=31908230769
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31908276253

Some of the documents include both the index 14F167 and the number 770, which is also seen in several contracts signed under Gerakl-KV (although it is not in the original contract signed between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev on April 28, 2014).  Gerakl is also referred to as “770” in this brief biography of an ISS Reshetnev researcher:

http://rusea.info/eoaywinners/10956

One other military satellite under development at ISS Reshetnev has the index 14F166 and it could be either Akvarel or Ispolin, two satellites with no known 14F indexes. 


Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #73 on: 04/15/2020 06:51 pm »
Some new tidbits of information on military satellites of ISS Reshetnev, mainly drawn from court documents:

Garpun

https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/703e3210-77e3-4ef2-9edc-9c6cf9561523
https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/3678d044-2bd5-4836-a97f-e45cdbc97035


Garpun ("Harpoon") is the name of two military data relay satellites launched in September 2011 (14F136 nr. 11L) and December 2015 (14F136 nr. 12L). Very little is known about them. The court documents reveal that the project began on 22 March 1993, which means it took almost twenty years for the first satellite to reach the launch pad.  The documents detail problems encountered by both satellites both on the ground and in orbit. Some of these had to do with the on-board radio complex known as 14R512. The manufacturer of this (NPTs SPURT) went bankrupt in 2013, forcing another company (the Vega Concern) to take over the work. There were also problems with a laser terminal (LT-150) developed by NPK SPP, which is known to have been used in experiments to relay information from Persona photoreconnaissance satellites. According to the documents, one of the problems during on-orbit testing of the second satellite was that the third Persona photoreconnaissance satellite (14F137 nr. 3) was “not ready” (which is strange, because it was launched in June 2015, six months before the Garpun satellite).

The documentation also makes it possible to identify the “space complex” designator of Garpun as 14K155, an index that had earlier not yet been linked to a specific satellite system. 

Rodnik


http://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/70a6e5d2-8caf-4708-9c72-b62bba599894

This recent court case between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev revolved around delays in the launch of the latest trio of Rodnik satellites (orbited in November 2018). These were the result of Western-imposed sanctions that complicated the delivery of US-built electronic components for the satellites’ on-board radio complex, identified as 14R59 (built by NII TP, the Scientific Research Institute of Precision Instruments). However, in the end the satellites do seem to have flown with the originally planned electronic components.

The document also gives the “space complex” index for Rodnik, namely 14K150. This had been seen in some earlier documentation, but could not be linked to a specific satellite project (see Reply 70 in this thread). As was already known, the individual Rodnik satellites have the index 14F132.

Klyuch

http://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/f17c2eaa-941e-4f21-8161-0154193014a4

These are recent court documents related to a satellite project known as Klyuch (“Key”) that began with a contract (nr. 1520187310651010128001483) signed between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev on 16 November 2015. The purpose of the satellites is not mentioned, but one source earlier identified Klyuch as a successor to the Rodnik satellites.

https://www.ksc.ru/docs/trudy/info/trudy_5_2014(24).pdf
(p. 42)

Some of the information given in the documents leaves no doubt that this identification is correct. The purpose of the 2015 contract was “to modernize an existing satellite and continue its use as part of an orbital constellation”. More specifically, foreign-built electronic components used in the satellites’ on-board radio complex were to be replaced to the maximum extent possible by Russian-built electronic components. In other words, the same problem that plagued the latest trio of Rodnik satellites (the Western-imposed sanctions) necessitated changes to the next generation of satellites.

The legal dispute between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev resulted from delays in finishing the preliminary design of the satellites. ISS Reshetnev argued that these had been caused by contradictory requirements for the on-board radio equipment. The currently used satellites (that is the Rodniks) use non-secret communications channels in accordance with requirements stipulated by the Ministry of Defense in 2005. In 2013 the Ministry of Defense decided that secret communications channels would have to be used, but these would require significant changes to the satellites (essentially turning them into new satellites) and make it impossible for them to exchange information with the older satellites. Apparently, this was not taken into account in the 2015 contract, which called for only slightly modifying the new satellites and including them in the existing constellation. 

ISS Reshetnev solved the dilemma by producing two preliminary designs, one with and the other without the secret communications channels, but this led to delays and cost overruns. The Ministry of Defense eventually picked one of these designs in September 2017 (almost a year after receiving them), but it is not clear from the documentation which.     

All the Rodnik satellites were launched by the Rokot booster, which has now been retired. The civilian Gonets satellites, which use a similar design, have been moved to the Angara 1.2 rocket, so it is likely that the Klyuch satellites will use that rocket as well. 

Repei

Procurement documentation published last December confirms that the Repei signals intelligence satellites have the indexes 14F158 and 14F159. One of those (not clear which one) is for the satellites in highly elliptical orbits (Repei-V) and the other for the geostationary satellites (Repei-S).

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/contract/public/contract/view/general-information.html?id=8321201

This is for work under a contract between ISS Reshetnev and the Moscow Aviation Institute to test the effects that the plumes of ion thrusters have on certain satellite materials. It seems that both 14F158 and 14F159 will use the KM-75 stationary plasma thrusters of the Keldysh Research Center. The same type of thruster will be used by the Ispolin satellites, discussed earlier in this thread. 

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #74 on: 02/27/2021 10:24 pm »
Cross-posted from the thread "Plan of Russian space launches".

 https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26990.2080


Quote
The attached list is taken from the website of the Scientific Technological Center "Space Instrument Building" (NTTs KP), which belongs to Novosibirsk State University in Siberia.

http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc%5Fkp/proekty/

Among other things, NTTs KP tests components of satellites built by ISS Reshetnev and NPO Lavochkin. The list gives the start and completion dates for tests to be conducted in the coming years. One can assume that at least several months elapse between the completion of the tests and the actual launch of the satellites, so the list gives a rough idea of possible launch dates. This is especially interesting for two types of military satellites mentioned in the list, namely Repei and Sfera, both built by ISS Reshetnev.

Sfera is the name of of a military communications satellite, one version of which (Sfera-S) is intended to fly in geostationary orbit (Sfera-S) and the other (Sfera-V) in highly elliptical orbits. Their military designators are 14F151 and 14F152, but it is not clear which index stands for which satellite. Repei is the name of a signals intelligence satellite, one version (Repei-S) for GEO and the other (Repei-V) for HEO. Their military designators are 14F158 and 14F159, but here as well it is not clear which satellites they stand for.

The component to be tested by NTTs KP for these satellites is called MBKAP, which stands for "Small-Size On-Board Complex for Analysis of Interference", possibly some type of system to protect the satellites from electronic jamming. MBKAP testing for 14F158 and 14F159 is planned for January-March 2021 and July-September 2021. The least this tells us is that one Repei-S and one Repei-V satellite are currently under construction and that they may be launched in the not too distant future with relatively small intervals.

Sfera seems to be significantly lagging behind. MBKAP testing for 14F151 nr. 11 and nr. 12 is planned for July-September 2023 and October-December 2023. This means that these satellites are unlikely to be launched before 2024. There is no sign in the list of 14F152. The Sfera project has been underway since December 2011 and has clearly suffered numerous delays. One Russian press article several years ago said the project had fallen victim to Western sanctions, which made it necessary to switch to electronic components from other suppliers that made the satellites much heavier than originally planned.

All these satellites are presumably supposed to be launched by Angara-A5 rockets from Plesetsk, so their launch dates obviously also hinge on the availability of these rockets in the coming years.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #75 on: 04/23/2021 03:54 pm »
A master’s thesis written by a student of the Siberian Federal University and published in 2017 contains a drawing of the antenna of ISS Reshetnev’s Sfera military communications satellites, more particularly the one designated 14F151.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/94906833.pdf
(see p. 40)

Sfera will consist of a constellation of satellites in highly elliptical orbits (Sfera-V) and geostationary orbit (Sfera-S). The satellite designators are 14F151 and 14F152, but it still not clear which of those is Sfera-V and which is Sfera-S. The fact that only 14F151 is mentioned in the thesis would indicate that there are differences between the antennas carried by the two types of satellites.

The thesis deals with a system called BK KPFR, which is intended to monitor the position and shape of the parabolic reflector antenna and can help troubleshoot potential problems with its deployment. The text actually mentions two antennas (referred to as An11 and An12) which appear to be very similar and are seemingly carried together by one and the same satellite. The only one depicted in the thesis is An11 (see attachment 1).

The BK KPFR system consists of “monitoring elements” (KE or КЭ), “specialized laser scanners” (SLS or СЛС) and “angle measurement instruments” (UP or УП). The “monitoring elements” are corner reflectors that are installed on both the parabolic reflector antenna (25 on both the An-11 and An-12 antenna) and on the backside of the feed array (10 on that of the AN-11 antenna and 14 on that of the AN-12 antenna). The laser scanners and angle measurement instruments are both used to determine the exact coordinates of the corner reflectors and send those data to the on-board computer. In addition to that, the angle measurement instruments contain a camera that makes images of the antenna’s deployment process. A maximum of 25 images can be stored on board for later relay to the ground.  Each of the two antennas has two laser scanners and four angle measurement instruments (some of them acting as back-ups).  The thesis also contains drawings of the antennas and the backside of the feed arrays as seen from some of the angle measurement instruments (attachments 2 and 3).


Sfera-V and Sfera-S will together comprise the third so-called Integrated Space Communications System (ESSS-3). This will replace ESSS-2, which consists of Meridian-M satellites in Molniya orbits and Globus-1M (also called Raduga-1M) satellites in geostationary orbit. A PowerPoint presentation available online shows the orbital configuration of both ESSS-2 and ESSS-3, including planned locations for the Sfera-V satellites in geostationary orbit (attachment 4). The presentation was made in 2016 by an unidentified university. At the time, deployment of ESSS-3 was scheduled to begin in 2020.
https://ppt-online.org/805112
(see the eighth slide)

As mentioned in the previous post, the launch of the first two 14F151 satellites now seems to be planned for no earlier than 2024, more than twelve years after the Sfera project was approved. This could be determined from a schedule for tests of satellite components published on the website of a center belonging to Novosibirsk State University.
http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc_kp/proekty/
The list (containing both NPO Lavochkin and ISS Reshetnev satellites) included four military ISS Reshetnev satellites, namely 14F151 nr. 11 and 12, one 14F158 and one 14F159 satellite (the latter two being Repei signals intelligence satellites).  Interestingly, these four satellites vanished from the list several days after I referenced the website in an article on Russian signals intelligence satellites published on The Space Review earlier this month. Hardly a coincidence…

Offline Stan Black

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #76 on: 04/23/2021 04:08 pm »
As mentioned in the previous post, the launch of the first two 14F151 satellites now seems to be planned for no earlier than 2024, more than twelve years after the Sfera project was approved. This could be determined from a schedule for tests of satellite components published on the website of a center belonging to Novosibirsk State University.
http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc_kp/proekty/
The list (containing both NPO Lavochkin and ISS Reshetnev satellites) included four military ISS Reshetnev satellites, namely 14F151 nr. 11 and 12, one 14F158 and one 14F159 satellite (the latter two being Repei signals intelligence satellites).  Interestingly, these four satellites vanished from the list several days after I referenced the website in an article on Russian signals intelligence satellites published on The Space Review earlier this month. Hardly a coincidence…

Copy of the page here:-
https://web.archive.org/web/20210406214937/http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc_kp/proekty/

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #77 on: 04/23/2021 09:46 pm »
As mentioned in the previous post, the launch of the first two 14F151 satellites now seems to be planned for no earlier than 2024, more than twelve years after the Sfera project was approved. This could be determined from a schedule for tests of satellite components published on the website of a center belonging to Novosibirsk State University.
http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc_kp/proekty/
The list (containing both NPO Lavochkin and ISS Reshetnev satellites) included four military ISS Reshetnev satellites, namely 14F151 nr. 11 and 12, one 14F158 and one 14F159 satellite (the latter two being Repei signals intelligence satellites).  Interestingly, these four satellites vanished from the list several days after I referenced the website in an article on Russian signals intelligence satellites published on The Space Review earlier this month. Hardly a coincidence…

Copy of the page here:-
https://web.archive.org/web/20210406214937/http://www.phys.nsu.ru/ntc_kp/proekty/

The "uncensored" list is attached to Reply 74.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #78 on: 05/13/2021 12:56 pm »
ISS Reshetnev is working on a satellite called Yenisei-2 that was likely ordered by the Ministry of Defense. The name of this satellite appears in a brief biography of an ISS Reshetnev specialist along with a number of other military satellites (Sfera, Repei, Gerakl, Ispolin):

http://www.rusea.info/eoaywinners/11992

To the best of my knowledge, the only other information on this satellite can be found on Russia’s government procurement website, where it is the subject of some thirty contracts signed by the Radio Scientific Research Institute (NII Radio or NIIR), which is responsible for developing the satellite’s payload (or at least part of it). NIIR was awarded two separate contracts for the project by ISS Reshetnev on February 1, 2014 (nr. 018/14-026 and 019/14-026), as is apparent from documentation published here:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31401813297
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=32110102781

None of the documents reveal when ISS Reshetnev itself was assigned to the project and who the customer is (Roskosmos or the Ministry of Defense). However, the dearth of information on the project as well as some of the wording used in the contracts strongly point to a military role for Yenisei-2. The name Yenisei-2 itself appears in only a handful of the contracts (only draft versions of which are available on the website). Most of them can be linked to Yenisei-2 only through the two contract numbers. Also seen in some of the contracts is ISS Reshetnev’s internal code name for Yenisei-2, namely “Project 763”. This also appears in an ISS Reshetnev contract for the delivery of nickel-iron alloys needed for the project:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31705326139

Most of the work subcontracted by NIIR goes back to 2014-2015, but several new contracts showed up in recent months (the most recent one last March), showing this is still an active project. Many of the older contracts were signed between NIIR and the Izhevsk Radio Factory (IRZ) and contain this line: “For the manufacturing and mechanical tests [of the component], use is to be made of stocks, technical documentation and equipment produced in the framework of the Olimp project”.  The least this indicates is that the payloads of Yenisei-2 and Olimp share common elements, but this does not necessarily mean that the satellites are used for the same purpose. One of the contracts mentioning the connection with Olimp is here:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31401640852

NIIR also has a role in Olimp itself, as is clear from documentation published here:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31200048159
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31401189460


It can be determined from the documentation that Yenisei-2 is a geostationary satellite with a 15-year design lifetime which will carry one or more L-band transponders. IRZ provides a component for the L-band payload called MAGD-O used “for the reception and processing of signals”. It consists of several so-called “de-modulation units”, each of which can receive two L-band signals in the 1.5-2.5 GHz frequency range. MAGD-O is installed in “an unpressurized section” of the satellite and is designed to withstand exhaust plumes from stationary plasma thrusters (the Russian term for Hall-effect ion thrusters). Other elements of the L-band payload are supplied by the Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics. See:

https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31401641010
https://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31401812055


The name of the satellite suggests a link with another ISS Reshetnev project called Yenisei-A1.  However, this was managed not by the Ministry of Defense, but by Roskosmos under a contract awarded to ISS Reshetnev in September 2012.  Yenisei-A1 was described in tender documentation as an experimental system that would use a modified Express-4000 platform to test new satellite communications technology and would have to pave the way for the deployment of a so-called Confidential Mobile Communication Satellite System (SSKMS). SSKMS was to consist of satellites in both geostationary and highly elliptical orbits (the latter also referred to as Ellips).  However, little or nothing has been heard of the project in the past three or four years and it has possibly been canceled.

It is possible that Yenisei-2 is the military equivalent of this project. This would be supported by the fact that the L-band is typically used by mobile satellite communications systems (such as Inmarsat), but the L-band transponder(s) could be just one of several payloads carried by Yenisei-2.  It should be noted that work on a mobile satellite communications system was also conducted by RKK Energiya in the 2013-2015 timeframe (as is known from some of the company’ annual reports). There is reason to believe that this was a project known as Romashka (14F154), ordered by the Ministry of Defense in August 2012, but canceled for unknown reasons in December 2015. If Yenisei-2 and Romashka were conceived for similar purposes, then the question naturally arises what the military’s rationale would have been for developing two separate mobile satellite communications systems.

It is hard to predict when Yenisei-2 will be ready for launch. It is just one of numerous military satellites that will probably need to be launched from Plesetsk by the Angara-A5, others being Sfera-S/V, Repei-S/V, Gerakl, Ispolin and the geostationary EKS early warning satellites. Considering the slow pace of Angara-A5 production and potential problems with the development of the satellite itself, it may be several more years before Yenisei-2 is launched into space.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Reshetnev Satellites
« Reply #79 on: 07/01/2023 04:00 pm »
Western sanctions appear to be having a significant impact on a number of military satellites being built by ISS Reshetnev. Last January, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate reported delays in three projects, namely Sfera, Repei and Gerakl-KV.

The press release of the Main Intelligence Directorate (in Ukrainian) is here:
https://gur.gov.ua/content/kosmichna-rozvidka-rf-kolapsuie-pid-vplyvom-mizhnarodnykh-sanktsii.html
The news was subsequently reported by several Ukrainian news outlets, including this one in English:
https://en.defence-ua.com/news/sanctions_are_working_russia_cannot_produce_satellites_for_space_recon-5537.html

The reported delays are:
Sfera: from 2025 to 2027
Repei: from 2022 to 2024
Gerakl-KV: from 2023 to 2025

According to the report, the production of these satellites has essentially come to a halt because they are missing “hundreds of thousands” of electronic parts, not only foreign ones, but also Russian-built parts intended to replace them. The report seems to link the delays to  sanctions imposed on ISS Reshetnev by the US State Department last September. While these may have contributed to the latest delays, all three projects had already suffered major postponements earlier.

Sfera (started in 2011) is a constellation of military communications satellites that will operate in both highly elliptical (Sfera-V) and geostationary orbits (Sfera-S). They will constitute Russia’s third-generation military comsat system (ESSS-3), which should replace ESSS-2, consisting of the Meridian-M and Globus-1M satellites.                     

Repei (started in 2014) is a constellation of signals intelligence satellite that will also fly in HEO and GEO (Repei-V and Repei-S).  Indications are that they are the first Russian SIGINT satellites to be devoted primarily to communications intelligence.

Gerakl-KV (also started in 2014) is the least well documented of these three projects. The report describes it as a data relay satellite, which confirms earlier speculation that it is a replacement for the Garpun data relay satellites, used to relay imagery from optical reconnaissance satellites. Only one of the two Garpun satellites launched remains operational (Kosmos-2513). It has been in orbit since 2015 and may well have exceeded its design lifetime.
 
It is, of course, impossible to say how Ukrainian intelligence obtained the information on the delays and how reliable it is. Anyway, the fact that these projects are experiencing significant delays is also evident from several court cases between the Ministry of Defense and ISS Reshetnev. For instance, a recent court document related to Gerakl-KV says ISS Reshetnev did not receive updated technical specifications from the Ministry of Defense for one part of the project until March 2023, more than three years later than planned.
https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/c4c6741b-3b31-4fc7-be53-18e113512c87
Whether that delay is sanction-related is hard to say though.

Also feeling the impact of the sanctions are ISS Reshetnev’s low-orbiting Rodnik (Strela-3M) military communications satellites. Most of these have been launched in trios by the Rokot launch vehicle, the latest triplet having gone up in November 2018. Western sanctions stemming from the 2014 annexation of Ukraine made it necessary to build the next batch of satellites with as few foreign electronic components as possible. It was also decided to replace Rokot (which has many Ukrainian-built components) by Angara-1.2.

A contract for the modernized satellites was awarded to ISS Reshetnev in November 2015 under the name Klyuch (“key”).  Most, if not all of the changes relate to the communications payload, known as 14R59.  They are significant enough for the satellites to get a new military index (14F161), seen for the first time in a recent court document (the earlier Rodniks had the index 14F132).
https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/5387f141-477b-44a6-8541-f367daa65999

According to the document, the first satellite (serial number 29) was supposed to be manufactured by late October 2019, but technical specifications for the modernized 14R59 payload were not finished until May 2019, leading to significant delays in the production of the spacecraft. It is not clear when it will be ready for launch.



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