Kosmos 2241

Kosmos 2241

Mission type	Early warning
COSPAR ID	1993-022A
SATCAT no.	22594
Mission duration	4 years[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	US-K[2]
Launch mass	1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)[3]
Start of mission
Launch date	6 April 1993, 19:07 (1993-04-06UTC19:07Z) UTC
Rocket	Molniya-M/2BL[2]
Launch site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome[2][3]
End of mission
Decay date	8 March 2022
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Molniya [2]
Perigee altitude	663 kilometres (412 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude	39,690 kilometres (24,660 mi)[4]
Inclination	62.9 degrees[4]
Period	717.76 minutes[4]

Kosmos 2241 (Russian: Космос 2241 meaning Cosmos 2241) was a Russian US-K missile early warning satellite launched in 1993 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite was designed to detect missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.[2]

Kosmos 2241 was launched from Site 43/4 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.[5] A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used for the launch, which took place at 19:07 UTC on 6 April 1993.[3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1993-051A.[3] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 22594.[3]

On 8 March 2022, Kosmos 2241 decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.[6]

See also

• List of Kosmos satellites (2001–2250)
• List of R-7 launches (1990–1994)
• 1993 in spaceflight
• List of Oko satellites

References

1. Podvig, Pavel (2002). "History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System" (PDF). Science and Global Security. 10 (1): 21–60. Bibcode:2002S&GS...10...21P. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.6127. doi:10.1080/08929880212328. ISSN 0892-9882. S2CID 122901563. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-15.
2. "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
3. "Cosmos 2241". National Space Science Data Centre. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
6. "COSMOS 2241". N2YO.com. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.