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Molniya-1 No.2

First-generation Soviet communication satellite program

Summary

First-generation Soviet communication satellite program

FieldValue
nameMolniya-1 No.2
mission_typeCommunications
operatorExperimental Design Bureau
(OKB-1)
mission_durationFailed to orbit
1.5 years (planned)
spacecraftMolniya-1 No.2
spacecraft_typeMolniya
manufacturerExperimental Design Bureau
(OKB-1)
launch_mass1422 kg
launch_date4 June 1964, 04:00:00 GMT
launch_rocketMolniya 8K78 s/n G15000-18
launch_siteBaikonur, Site 1
launch_contractorExperimental Design Bureau
(OKB-1)
orbit_referenceGeocentric orbit (planned)
orbit_regimeMolniya orbit
orbit_periapsis39,000 km
orbit_apoapsis710 km
orbit_inclination65.0°
orbit_period720 minutes
apsisgee
programmeMolniya programme
next_missionKosmos-41

(OKB-1) 1.5 years (planned)

(OKB-1)

(OKB-1)

Molniya-1 No.2, a 1422 kg Molniya-1 satellite, was the first Soviet communications satellite to be launched. However, it failed to achieve orbit due to a malfunction of the rocket which was carrying it. It was intended to operate in a Molniya orbit, from where it would be used to demonstrate communications between parts of the USSR.

Launch

Molniya-1 No.2 was launched at 04:00 GMT on 4 June 1964, atop a Molniya 8K78 launch vehicle, flying from Site 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. A motor circuit in the servo controlling the core stage throttle failed 104 seconds into the flight, resulting in the throttle becoming jammed closed and the fuel supply to the engines being stopped.

Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA had incorrectly identified the launch of Molniya-1 No.2 as a failed attempt to launch a Zond spacecraft on a circumlunar technology demonstration mission, and assigned it the placeholder designation Zond 1964A.

References

References

  1. Wade, Mark. "Molniya-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
  2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page.
  3. Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
  4. Williams, David R.. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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