[amsat-bb] Nuclear Powered Birds

["Al copland" <allan_gm1sxx@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Satellite Reactor Junk.

The RADAR Ocean Reconnaissance satellites listed below carried RTG's to 
provide power for the onboard RADAR systems.

The orbits had perigees of around 250-260Kms with inclinations of 65 
degrees.

The TOPAZ ‘reactors’ used on these satellites developed around 10KW of 
electrical power.

At the mission end, the 'reactor' was usually lofted into a 900-1000Kms near 
circular orbit.

I believe all these birds were launched from Tyuratam (Baikonur) on the F-1m 
launcher.

The Encyclopedia of Soviet Spacecraft lists the following data on RORSATS.

The following flights of the system took place.

KOSMOS # 198 .. (test flight) reactor lofted 29/12/67
KOSMOS # 209 .. (test flight) reactor lofted 28/3/68
KOSMOS # 367 .. Probable Failure. reactor lofted 3/10/70
KOSMOS # 402 .. reactor lofted 9/4/71 (first operational mission)
KOSMOS # 469  .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 4/1/72
KOSMOS # 516 .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 21/9/72
KOSMOS # 626 .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 11/2/74
KOSMOS # 651 .. reactor lofted 25/7/74
KOSMOS # 654 .. reactor moved up on 30/7/74
KOSMOS # 723 .. reactor lofted 16/5/75
KOSMOS # 724 .. reactor lofted  12/6/75
KOSMOS # 785 .. reactor lofted 13/12/75
KOSMOS # 860 .. reactor moved up on 10/11/76
KOSMOS # 861 .. reactor lofted 20/12/76
KOSMOS #  952 .. reactor maneuvered to a higher orbit 8/10/77

KOSMOS # 954 .. separation failure, decayed over northern Canada 24/1/78

KOSMOS # 1176  .. (new lofting technique), reactor lofted 10/9/80
KOSMOS # 1249 .. reactor lofted 19/6/81
KOSMOS # 1266 .. reactor moved up 29/4/81 after probable malfunctions
KOSMOS # 1365. reactor moved up 27/9/82
KOSMOS # 1372.. reactor maneuvered to to higher orbit 11/8/82
KOSMOS # 1402 .. reactor separated but not boosted.  Re-entered on Jan/Feb 
83
KOSMOS # 1412 .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 10/11/82
KOSMOS # 1579 .. reactor moved up 28/9/84
KOSMOS # 1607 .. reactor lofted 31/1/85
KOSMOS # 1670 .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 22/10/85
KOSMOS # 1677 .. reactor maneuvered to higher orbit 23/10/85
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Note that TOPAZ is also the name of a Russian reactor system used for ground 
based applications.   See 
http://www.ippe.rssi.ru/welcome/activity/space_eng.html for more info.
This particular webpage page states that TOPAZ reactors have been flown in 
space twice, so I have to assume that the TOPAZ units flown on the RORSAT 
launches is are a different item from that used for ground based 
applications.


73
Al.
GM1SXX



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