Okean-O1 Credit - © Mark Wade

Third generation Soviet oceanographic research satellite, equipped with a side-looking radar, radiometer, and multi-spectral scanner.

Oceanographic research satellite, developed by KB-3 at NPO Yuzhnoye in the Ukraine, Vladimir Iosifovich Dranvoskiy, Chief Designer. The Okean oceanographic research satellite, later called Sich-1 by the Ukrainians, weighed 1950 kg, of which 505 kg was scientific instruments. Development was authorized on 5 May 1977 as one of the third generation of Soviet space systems. It was equipped with:

SUOS pointing, orientation, and stabilization system including:

Korall-A6 radio-command command-programming-trajectory system

BR-91Ts radiotelemetry system

STR thermoregulation system

SEP electrical feed system

SM-5 magnetometer

RFA radiophysical instrument with:

RLSBO side-looking radar with a swath width of 450 km and a resolution of 1.3 x 2.6 km

RM-0.8 scanning radiometer with a swath width of 550 km and a resolution of 25 km

RTBK radio-television complex with:

MSU-M 4-band multispectral scanner with a swath width of 1900 km and a resolution of 1.8 km

MSU-S 2-band multispectral scanner with a swath width of 1100 km and a resolution of 410 m

Kondor-2 system for interrogation, acquisition, storage, and dumping of data from Kondor-1 earth ground stations

Typical orbit: 631 km circular orbit, 82.5 deg inclination. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3.

• 1986 July 28 - Cosmos 1766 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 601 km (373 mi). Apogee: 631 km (392 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.00 min.

  Oceanographic. Acquisition of operational oceanographic information in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation; continued trials of new types of informational and measurement apparatus and methods of remote sen sing of the earth's surface and atmosphere.

• 1987 July 16 - Cosmos 1869 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 602 km (374 mi). Apogee: 632 km (392 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.10 min.

  Oceanographic. Acquisition of operational oceanographic information in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

• 1988 July 5 - Okean 1 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 606 km (376 mi). Apogee: 633 km (393 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.10 min.

  Oceanographic. Gathering of up-to-date oceanographic information and data on ice conditions in the interests of the Soviet economy and international cooperation.

• 1989 June 9 - Okean - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. FAILURE: Stage 3 failure - third stage engine did not ignite for second burn. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb).

• 1990 February 28 - Okean 2 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 617 km (383 mi). Apogee: 646 km (401 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.40 min.

  Oceanographic remote sensing. Gathering of up-to-date oceanographic information and data on ice conditions in the interests of the Soviet economy and international cooperation.

• 1991 June 4 - Okean 3 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 621 km (385 mi). Apogee: 656 km (407 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.50 min.

  Oceanography. Gathering of up-to-date oceanographic information and data on ice conditions in the interests of the Soviet economy and international cooperation. Okean 3 ceased working in January of 1994.

• 1994 October 11 - Okean-O1 no. 7 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 631 km (392 mi). Apogee: 665 km (413 mi). Inclination: 82.54 deg. Period: 97.70 min.

  Oceanography.

• 1995 August 31 - Sich 1 - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Perigee: 631 km (392 mi). Apogee: 668 km (415 mi). Inclination: 82.50 deg. Period: 97.70 min.

  Oceanographic remote sensing; carried FASat-Alfa microsat for Chile that failed to deploy.

• 2004 December 24 - Sich-1M - Program: Okean. Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3. FAILURE: Launch vehicle control system failure during third stage apogee kick burn. Mass: 2,263 kg (4,989 lb). Perigee: 280 km (170 mi). Apogee: 650 km (400 mi). Inclination: 82.56 deg.

  Ukranian-built remote sensing satellite. Originally tagged by USAF SpaceCom as Cosmos 2412. Third stage apogee kick burn was too short, raising the perigee of the orbit from 78 km to 280 km, rather than the 650 km planned.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.