Yantar-2K

Spacecraft lander

Manufacturer| TsSKB
Country of origin| Soviet Union
Operator| GRU
Applications| Reconnaissance satellite
Specifications
Bus| Yantar
Launch mass| 6,600 kilograms (14,600 lb)
Dimensions| 6.5 by 2.7 metres (21.3 ft × 8.9 ft)
Equipment| Zhemchug-4 camera
Regime| Low Earth Orbit
Design life| 30 days
Production
Status| Retired
Launched| 30
Maiden launch|

* 23 May 1974 (launch failure)
* 13 December 1974 (Kosmos 697)

Last launch| 28 June 1983 (Kosmos 1471)

Yantar-2K (Russian: Янтарь meaning amber) was a type of Soviet reconnaissance satellite which supplemented and eventually replaced the Zenit spacecraft. It was the first satellite of the Yantar series and was managed by the Soviet military intelligence agency, the GRU. These satellites were in orbit for 30 days and photographed sites of interest using a film camera. Yantar-2K was proposed in 1967 [1] and had its first test launch in May 1974. It was in military service from 1978 to 1983 and was given the name Feniks (Russian: Феникс), meaning phoenix.[2][3]

## Equipment

[edit]

Yantar differed from Zenit in that it had to stay in orbit for a month unlike Zenit's 8–14 days. It also had 2 film return capsules, something it had in common with the US KH-7 GAMBIT reconnaissance satellite. Yantar had three parts: the aggregate/equipment module (AO - Agregatnyy Otsek), the instrument module (PO - Pribornnyy Otsek) and the special equipment module/special apparatus module (OSA - otsek spetsialnoy apparatury).[2][4] The special equipment module was the part that returned to earth at the end of the mission, and contained the Zhemchug-4 (pearl) camera. Each section was shaped like a truncated cone which gave the craft a conical shape.[4] The craft was 6.3m long[2] (although one source says 8.5m[4]) with a maximum diameter of 2.7m. It weighed 6.6 tonnes.[2]

The aggregate module was 1.2m long and 2.7m diameter and contained the propulsion unit. It used UDMH fuel with an N2O4 oxidiser. Attached to it were two solar arrays, each six metres long with four panels. The instrument module was 1m long and 2.4m diameter. It contained most of the equipment including Kvadrat gyroscopes, telemetry systems and attitude control. It was covered in thermal radiator panels.[2][4]

The special equipment module was 3.3m long with a diameter of 2.3m. A shade 2.5m long with a diameter of 0.9m was attached to the front. The module contained the Zhemchug-4 camera, the Salyut-3M computer, film and film handling systems. It also acted as the reentry vehicle. Attached to it were two film return capsules (SpK Spuskayemaya Kapsula) which were 0.8m diameter spheres. They contained retro rockets and could land on the ground or on water.[4] During a thirty-day mission the film return capsules deorbited on the tenth and eighteenth days with the final film returning with the re-entry vehicle.[2][4][5]

Space historian Peter Gorin estimates that the camera lens had a diameter of 600mm and a focal length of approximately 3000mm to 4000mm. This could give a resolution of 0.5m, although there is some evidence that the lens diameter was only 420mm,[6] which would reduce the ground resolution to only 0.7m. The lens was retractable and had a cover which only opened when the camera was taking photographs. The film type is unknown but might be the same as in the Zenit, which had 300mm x 300mm frames. The camera was developed by the Krasnogorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant (KMZ).[4]

The satellite de-orbited by retracting the lens into the special equipment module. The other two modules and the lens shade separated and burnt up in the atmosphere. The reentry vehicle then landed on the ground. The computer and camera were designed to be reusable.[2] The craft contained a self-destruct mechanism.[4]

## Operation

[edit]

The first test launch of a Yantar-2K was on 23 May 1974 which ended in launch failure and the loss of the satellite. The second flight, on 13 December 1974, was successful and Kosmos 697 landed after 12 days. After seven test launches the satellite was taken into service with the first one on 5 August 1978. There were thirty launches in total, including test launches, with the last one on 28 June 1983.[2][7]

Yantar-2K was replaced by the similar Yantar-4K1, named Oktan. It had its first test launch on 27 April 1979 and had its first operational flight in 1982.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Siddiqi, Asif A. (2000). Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974. Washington, DC: NASA. p. 950\. hdl:2060/20000088626.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Sorokin, Vladislav. "Fourth generation reconnaissance satellites - Yantar-2K". Novosti Kosmonavtiki. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
3. ^ Harvey, Brian (2001). Russia in Space: The Failed Frontier?. Springer. p. 112\. ISBN 9781852332037.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gorin, Peter (1998). "Black "Amber":Russian Yantar-Class Optical Reconnaissance Satellites". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 51: 309–320.309-320&rft.date=1998&rft.aulast=Gorin&rft.aufirst=Peter&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Yantar-2K" class="Z3988">
5. ^ "Yantar-2K". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 28, 2002. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
6. ^ "Yantar camera aution". Retrieved 2019-11-11.
7. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Yantar-2K (Feniks, 11F624)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2012-06-04.

* v
* t
* e

Yantar satellites

Yantar-1KFT
Kometa/Siluet|

* Kosmos 1246
* Kosmos 1370
* Kosmos 1516
* Kosmos 1608
* Kosmos 1673
* Kosmos 1784
* Kosmos 1865
* Kosmos 1896
* Kosmos 1944
* Kosmos 1986
* Kosmos 2021
* Kosmos 2078
* Kosmos 2134
* Kosmos 2174
* Kosmos 2185
* Kosmos 2243
* Kosmos 2284
* No.18
* Kosmos 2349
* Kosmos 2373
* Kosmos 2415

Yantar-2K
Feniks|

* No.1
* Kosmos 697
* Kosmos 758
* Kosmos 805
* Kosmos 844
* Kosmos 905
* Kosmos 949
* Kosmos 1028
* Kosmos 1079
* Kosmos 1121
* Kosmos 1144
* Kosmos 1152
* Kosmos 1208
* Kosmos 1236
* Kosmos 1240
* Kosmos 1248
* No.979
* Kosmos 1270
* Kosmos 1274
* Kosmos 1282
* Kosmos 1296
* Kosmos 1318
* Kosmos 1330
* Kosmos 1336
* Kosmos 1350
* Kosmos 1384
* Kosmos 1407
* Kosmos 1439
* Kosmos 1454
* Kosmos 1471

Yantar-4K1
Oktan|

* Kosmos 1097
* Kosmos 1177
* Kosmos 1218
* Kosmos 1377
* Kosmos 1399
* Kosmos 1424
* Kosmos 1442
* Kosmos 1457
* Kosmos 1466
* Kosmos 1489
* Kosmos 1496
* Kosmos 1511

Yantar-4K2
Kobalt|

* Kosmos 1298
* Kosmos 1347
* Unknown
* Kosmos 1504
* Kosmos 1532
* Kosmos 1539
* Kosmos 1548
* Kosmos 1558
* Kosmos 1576
* Kosmos 1585
* Kosmos 1599
* Kosmos 1611
* Kosmos 1616
* Kosmos 1630
* Kosmos 1647
* Kosmos 1654
* Kosmos 1676
* Kosmos 1679
* Kosmos 1699
* Kosmos 1706
* Kosmos 1724
* Kosmos 1734
* Kosmos 1739
* Kosmos 1756
* Kosmos 1764
* Kosmos 1773
* Kosmos 1792
* Kosmos 1807
* Kosmos 1811
* Kosmos 1824
* Kosmos 1835
* Kosmos 1847
* Kosmos 1866
* Kosmos 1886
* Kosmos 1893
* Kosmos 1901
* Kosmos 1916
* Kosmos 1935
* Kosmos 1942
* Kosmos 1955
* Kosmos 1963
* Kosmos 1969
* Kosmos 1984
* Kosmos 1993
* Kosmos 2005
* Kosmos 2018
* Kosmos 2020
* Kosmos 2030
* Kosmos 2047
* Kosmos 2052
* Kosmos 2057
* Unknown
* Kosmos 2077
* Unknown
* Kosmos 2089
* Kosmos 2102
* Kosmos 2108
* Kosmos 2124
* Kosmos 2138
* Kosmos 2149
* Kosmos 2156
* Kosmos 2171
* Kosmos 2175
* Kosmos 2182
* Kosmos 2186
* Kosmos 2203
* Kosmos 2210
* Kosmos 2220
* Kosmos 2231
* Kosmos 2240
* Kosmos 2259
* Kosmos 2274
* Kosmos 2283
* Kosmos 2311
* Kosmos 2314
* Kosmos 2331
* Unknown
* Kosmos 2348
* Kosmos 2358
* Kosmos 2365
* Kosmos 2377
* Kosmos 2387

Yantar-4K2M
Kobalt-M|

* Kosmos 2410
* Kosmos 2420
* Kosmos 2427
* Kosmos 2445
* Kosmos 2450
* Kosmos 2462
* Kosmos 2472
* Kosmos 2480

Yantar-4KS1
Terilen|

* Kosmos 1426
* Kosmos 1552
* Kosmos 1643
* Kosmos 1731
* Kosmos 1770
* Kosmos 1810
* Kosmos 1836
* Kosmos 1881
* Kosmos 1936
* Unknown
* Unknown
* Kosmos 2007
* Kosmos 2049
* Kosmos 2072
* Kosmos 2113

Yantar-4KS1M
Neman|

* Kosmos 2153
* Kosmos 2183
* Kosmos 2223
* Kosmos 2267
* Kosmos 2280
* Kosmos 2305
* Kosmos 2320
* Kosmos 2359
* Kosmos 2370

* v
* t
* e

Russian reconnaissance satellites

IMINT|

| Photographic|

* Almaz
* Zenit
* Orlets
* Yantar
* Kobalt

|

Electro-optical|

* Persona
* Resurs-P
* Razbeg
* Razdan

Radar IMINT|

* Kondor
* Neitron

SIGINT|

| ELINT|

* Tselina-2
* Liana
* Lotos-S
* Pion-NKS

|

MASINT|

| Secondary Mission|

* Oko
* US-K
* US-KMO
* EKS

|

Kosmos
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