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#20 by input~2 on 30 Mar, 2023 10:10
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The orbital parameters for the Kosmos 2568 are similar to those for the Kosmos 2555, furthering corroborating the probable ID of Kosmos 2568 as EMKA 4.
They are closer to the initial orbital parameters for Kosmos-2560 (2022-135A) aka EO MKA#3 -
#21 by B. Hendrickx on 30 Mar, 2023 10:30
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Here's the launch video itself.
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#22 by B. Hendrickx on 30 Mar, 2023 10:41
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Do not confuse EMKA series with EO MKA series.
Good point. There is indeed a lot of confusion over EMKA and EO MKA in news reports. In fact, the two are totally unrelated.
EMKA (“experimental small satellite”) was the name given to Kosmos-2525, an experimental optical reconnaissance satellite of the VNIIEM Corporation launched in March 2018. In documentation it is also referred to as Razdan-N. It made numerous orbit corrections before re-entering in April 2021. It is probably the only satellite of this type that will ever be launched. It was likely the experimental precursor of Razbeg, a new series of small optical reconnaissance satellites of VNIIEM. The first three may be launched together on a Soyuz-2 later this year. They could be similar or identical to Khayyam, the satellite that Russia built for Iran.
EO MKA (which presumably stands for “protype of a small satellite”) is the name associated with Kosmos-2551, 2555 and 2560, which all re-entered after several weeks without making any maneuvers. The design bureau is rumored to be CNIIHM and the manufacturer is said to be a company with no earlier involvement in the space program. Nothing is known for sure about their purpose and they defy all logical explanation. One poster on the NK forum claimed they are used as targets for the Peresvet anti-satellite laser system, but that this is only a secondary mission objective. Since the Russians have now spent four boosters on apparent prototype satellites in just one and a half years (two Soyuz-2-1v and two Angara-1.2 rockets), one can only conclude they must be doing something very important. It could also be another sign that many “regular” satellites are grounded due to a lack of electronic components as a result of the sanctions.
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#23 by Alter Sachse on 30 Mar, 2023 13:16
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launch time 19:57:02
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#24 by Nicolas PILLET on 30 Mar, 2023 18:17
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EO MKA (which presumably stands for “protype of a small satellite”) is the name associated with Kosmos-2551, 2555 and 2560
And Kosmos-2561 and 2562, isn't it ? -
#25 by B. Hendrickx on 30 Mar, 2023 19:54
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EO MKA (which presumably stands for “protype of a small satellite”) is the name associated with Kosmos-2551, 2555 and 2560
And Kosmos-2561 and 2562, isn't it ?
Three differences:
-two satellites (and not identical: 14F164 and 14F172)
-launched into a higher orbit (using a Volga upper stage)
-both have made small maneuvers (Kosmos-2561 just one)
Based on that, they seem to be of a different type than EO MKA. As I have explained in the Kosmos-2561/2562 thread, my best guess is that they're part of Numizmat, but there's little evidence to back that up. -
#26 by B. Hendrickx on 30 Mar, 2023 19:56
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Video of roll-out and launch:
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#27 by russianhalo117 on 30 Mar, 2023 20:09
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Video of roll-out and launch:
There is a serial number shown during departure from the MIK. I was unable to read due to light glare, camera angle and distance. -
#28 by Steven Pietrobon on 31 Mar, 2023 04:36
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There is a serial number shown during departure from the MIK. I was unable to read due to light glare, camera angle and distance.
This was the best I could make out from the 1080p video. Maybe someone can make sense out of it.
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#29 by B. Hendrickx on 31 Mar, 2023 13:18
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Any connection between Kosmos-2568 and Kosmos-2558 or Kosmos-2561/2562 can now be definitively ruled out.
Nico Janssen on Seesat:QuoteKosmos 2568 (56091, 2023-045A) was launched from Plesetsk on 2023-03-29 at 19:57 UTC. Its orbit plane appears to be 8.7 degrees from the plane of Kosmos 2558 and USA 326. So apparently it is not to be expected to get involved in inspections of USA 326.
Also, its orbit plane is 4.2 degrees from the plane of Kosmos 2562, so it also appears to be unrelated to that Kosmos (and Kosmos 2561). -
#30 by B. Hendrickx on 25 Aug, 2023 22:38
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For several months it looked like Kosmos-2568 would follow the same mission profile as the three earlier EO MKA satellites (Kosmos-2551, 2555, 2560), slowly decaying without performing any orbit corrections. However, that pattern abruptly changed on August 9, by which time its orbit had decayed to roughly 287x300 km. Since then the satellite has clearly been performing minor burns to counter further decay (see the graph from Celestrak). It is currently being tracked in a 287x298 km orbit. The orbit corrections have been very minor. The most significant one thus far took place on August 14, when it lowered its perigee and raised its apogee by roughly one kilometer. There may also have been some small tweaks in late June/mid-July, but the data for those is less convincing.
So Kosmos-2568 clearly has some kind of thruster system. The question is why it was not activated until more than four months into its mission and why its three predecessors did not maneuver.
I was able to make several visual observations of Kosmos-2568 in June and early July. On most passes it was a relatively bright naked-eye object, reaching magnitude +2.5-3.0 (somewhat fainter than Polaris, the North Star). I had two more opportunities to see it in early August, but by that time the observing conditions were much less favorable (it came out of the Earth’s shadow much later) and I could no longer see it with the naked eye. There are no more visible passes from the northern hemisphere now.
At its brightest, it was about the same magnitude as a Soyuz or Progress, but since it was launched by a Soyuz-2-1v, it must be significantly smaller. This would indicate it has a quite reflective surface (Soyuz/Progress, on the other hand, have dark thermal insulation). If it is really an “MKA” (a Russian acronym for “small satellite”), then by the Russian definition of that term it should be no heavier than about 1 ton. In theory it could be twice as heavy though. According to data from RKTs Progress, the Soyuz-2-1v (without the Volga upper stage) has a payload capacity of 2.43 tons to a 200 km, 98.7° orbit from Plesetsk.