|
|
|
In 1997, a mysterious space mission bewildered observers of the Russian space program. On June 6 of that year, the Proton rocket, the most powerful space booster in the active Russian fleet, lifted a classified cargo into orbit. Official Russian sources identified the newly launched satellite as Cosmos-2344 and announced that it would be used for the purposes of the Ministry of Defense. For most classified space missions, this would be the end of the official "coverage." However, in the case of Cosmos-2344, a string of bizarre developments followed. These events revealed the fine line between the secrecy of military space technology and the efforts of a cash-starved industry to apply such technology for civilian purposes. On the day of the launch, an independent Moscow newspaper, Commersant Daily, ran a story shedding light on the mission of the Cosmos-2344. Quoting sources in the Russian Duma (parliament), the paper described in unprecedented detail the financial problems and delays, beleaguering the development and launch of Cosmos-2344. According to the Commersant, Cosmos-2344 was a new-generation reconnaissance satellite, capable of transmitting surveillance data in real time. However, independent analysts expressed doubts about the spacecraft's usefulness for optical reconnaissance. Given the known orbit parameters of the satellite -- 1,516 kilometers in perigee and 2,749 kilometers in apogee -- much higher then the typical orbital path used by "traditional" spy satellites -- Cosmos-2344 was expected to provide only low-resolution photography. New class of milsat Unexpectedly, it was the manufacturer of Cosmos-2344, NPO Lavochkin, whose information helped to dissipate a great deal of mystery around the mission of Cosmos-2344. In several of its publications, NPO Lavochkin released a drawing and even several photos of a partially obscured Arkon spacecraft! According to NPO Lavochkin's official history, (118) the project, which led to Cosmos-2344, started in mid-1980s with the development of a multi-mission platform "based on the Arkon satellite." The original secret mission of the spacecraft has not been described in this source; instead, NPO Lavochkin listed the Arkon among the platforms available for commercial applications. The company specified that the Arkon-based spacecraft would be capable of carrying astronomy and remote-sensing payloads. Lomonosov As it turned out, at least one nonmilitary application had been proposed for the Arkon, even before the spacecraft was declassified. As soon as NPO Lavochkin revealed the general appearance of the Arkon platform, independent analysts recognized the satellite's long-known civilian cousin -- the Lomonosov astronomy telescope. (117) Since the end of the 1980s, the Sternfeld Astronomy Institute planned to use the Lomonosov for high-accuracy cataloguing of astronomical objects, similar to the mission of the European Hipparcus satellite. However, Russia's financial problems essentially grounded the Lomonosov project. Nevertheless, openly published data on Lomonosov and other non-classified sources allowed the Moscow-based Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine to compile a detailed "profile" of the Arkon spacecraft and its mission. Known specs The official specifications for the Arkon-1 spacecraft, advertised by NPO Lavochkin, listed panchromatic and near-infrared sensors onboard the existing version of the satellite. However, beginning with the third launch of the Arkon-type spacecraft, NPO Lavochkin planned to introduce a more versatile version of the craft, equipped with additional optical and infrared sensitivity. The use of infrared sensors, requiring low temperatures to operate, explained the presence of a large cooling array on the side of the spacecraft. According to Lavochkin, the Arkon's high-altitude orbit, which stunned independent observers of Cosmos-2344, allows the satellite to scan wide areas on the surface of the Earth, and to cover the same regions during different orbital passes, as well as to look at the same targets from different angles. The Arkon's high orbit also allows the craft to "watch" the same target during dozens of minutes on each pass, instead of shorter periods of time for traditional spy satellites. NPO Lavochkin also confirmed that the Arkon was capable of transmitting digital data in real-time mode, or to store information onboard for later downlinks. The Arkon specifications, courtesy NPO Lavochkin:
Name game Even though NPO Lavochkin identified Cosmos-2344 as the Arkon, this is apparently a "marketing" name of the platform, which is applied to a civilian reincarnation of the spacecraft. In 2001, Russia's space forces published the latest chapters in their official history, (119) which confirmed earlier reports (117) that the real name of the military spacecraft launched in June 1997 was Araks -- after a river in Caucasus. (Ironically, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Araks River flows outside of the Russian borders.) The history of space forces identified the launch in June 1997, as the first flight test of the system, which was expected to include Araks-N and Araks-R versions of the spacecraft. Although the meaning of the "N" and "R" designations had not been disclosed, given Lavochkin's information about two types of the Arkon-type satellites, with infrared and optical instruments, it is possible to speculate that "N" comes from Russian "nablyudenie" (observation) and "R" could stand for "razvedka" (reconaissance). The second mission 2002 July 25: The Proton booster launched a classified satellite from Site 81 in Baikonur Cosmodrome, officially announced as Cosmos-2392. The launch took place at 19:13 Moscow Time (11:13 a.m. EST) on July 25, 2002. The spacecraft reportedly separated from the upper stage of the launch vehicle at 21:27 Moscow Time (1:27 p.m. EST), after reaching highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. From statements made by the Russian space officials, it appeared that the payload belonged to the Araks/Arkon family of spacecraft. If this information is confirmed, this would the second launch of the spacecraft of this type.
|
PICTURE GALLERY
An interpretive drawing of the Araks (Arkon) spacecraft based on Russian publications. Although originally published drawings depicted the satellite in metallic colors, later sources proved that in flight the satellite is enveloped into yellow-orange thermal blanketing, common for NPO Lavochkin's spacecraft. Copyright © 2002 by Anatoly Zak
The Araks (Arkon) spacecraft during processing at NPO Lavochkin's testing station, KIS, in the town of Khimki northwest of Moscow. Credit: NPO Lavochkin
The propulsion system of the Araks spacecraft based on the Fregat upper stage. Copyright © 2002 by Anatoly Zak
A body of a UV-telescope for the Astron orbital telescope built by NPO Lavochkin. A similar structure apparently tops the Araks/Arkon-type spacecraft. Copyright © 2000 by Anatoly Zak
|
 |
