Kondor (satellite)

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Kondor
"Kondor-E" reconnaissance satellite on MAKS-2021 airshow.jpg
Kondor-E (Export)
Manufacturer NPO Mashinostroyeniya
Country of origin Russia
ApplicationsOptical imaging
Radar imaging
Specifications
Launch mass1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb)
Regime Low Earth
Design life3-5 years
Dimensions
Production
StatusIn production
On order4
Built2
Launched2
Operational1
Maiden launchKosmos 2487 (Kondor No.202) [1]
27 June 2013

Kondor, GRAU index 14F133, is a series of Earth imaging or military reconnaissance satellites developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya for the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces which in 2015 became the Russian Space Forces and export customers. Satellites for the Russian military are designated "Kondor", whilst those for export are designated Kondor-E.

Kondor satellites are equipped to carry either synthetic aperture radar or electro-optical imaging payloads, with the first satellite, and are launched using the Strela carrier rocket, developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya from retired UR-100NUTTKh missiles. [2]

A mass simulator named Gruzomaket (aka Kondor-E-GVM, COSPAR 2003-055A [3] ) was launched on 5 December 2003, and almost ten years later on 27 June 2013, the first spacecraft was launched. Kondor No.202 (aka Kosmos 2487, Kondor 1, COSPAR 2013-032A [4] ) was operated by the Russian military, [1] and carried a radar imaging payload. [5] It was the first radar imaging satellite to be operated by the Russian military after the Soviet RORSAT and Almaz-T series. The first Kondor-E (Kondor-E 1, COSPAR 2014-084A [6] ) launched 19 December 2014 for South Africa. [7]

Civilian versions of the satellite have been designed under the name Kondor-FKA or Kondor-FKA-M. [8] [9] As of March 2023 the launches of the first two of them, Kondor-FKA №1 and №2, are planned for June 2023 and 2024 respectively. [10] [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Issue 681". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  2. Zak, Anatoly. "Strela launcher". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  3. "Gruzomaket".
  4. "Kondor".
  5. Zak, Anatoly. "Kondor (14F133) satellite". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  6. "Kondor-E".
  7. Graham, William (19 December 2014). "Russian Strela rocket launches Kondor-E". NasaSpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  8. "Kondor-FKA 1, 2".
  9. "Kondor-FKA-M 1".
  10. Baylor, Michael (16 April 2023). "Soyuz-2.1a/Fregat-M - Kondor-FKA n°1". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  11. ""Роскосмос" в 2023 г. планирует запустить 9 спутников дистанционного зондирования Земли" [Roscosmos plans to launch 9 Earth remote sensing satellites in 2023]. Interfax (in Russian). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.