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Class: Military. Type: ASAT. Destination: Space Station Orbit. Nation: Russia. Agency: MO. Manufacturer: Chelomei. Chelomei designed a spacecraft bus for space based weapons based on his TKS space tug. This was an alternate / competitive design to the NPO Energia USB. The original Spektr design was to be armed with Oktava interceptor rockets built by NPO Kometa. It was to be equipped with sensors to identify (Lira) and track (Buton) ballistic missile re-entry vehicles as well as discriminate decoys (Pion-K). A prototype of the Spektr would be docked with the Mir space station for systems tests. In 1992, as directed by the Soviet Union's military and political leadership, all work on such projects was discontinued. The Spektr module was converted into a civilian platform, and its completion and docking with Mir partially funded by the United States. Maximum Diameter: 4.15 m (13.61 ft). Mass: 20,000 kg (44,000 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K. Spektr - Original Chronology - 1992 January 1 - Work on military Spektr version cancelled -
The original Spektr design was to be armed with Oktava interceptor rockets and equipped with sensors to identify and track ballistic missile re-entry vehicles as well as discriminate decoys. In 1992, as directed by the Soviet Union's military and political leadership, all work on such projects was discontinued. The Spektr module was mothballed, then later converted into a civilian platform, partially funded by the United States.
Bibliography and Further Reading - Hendrickx, Bart, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, "The Origins and Evolution of Mir and Its Modules", Vol. 51, P. 203-222, 1998..
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