Oko (satellite system)

It included the first generation US-K satellites in high-elliptical orbits and a US-CS in geostationary orbit . Satellites in geostationary orbit have a significant advantage - they do not change their position relative to the Earth and can provide ongoing support to constellation of satellites in highly elliptical orbits.

The lead developer of the space echelon warning system is the Kometa Research Institute . The spacecraft developer is NPO Lavochkina . Spacecraft were put into geostationary orbit with the help of the Proton-K launch vehicle and into highly elliptical orbits with the help of the Lightning-M launch vehicle . The drive equipment for the US-K system was manufactured by LZSHM named after Ukhtomsky , ^[1] radio equipment - DMZ named after Lenin ^[2] .

Work on the creation of space systems with IP satellites ("Satellite Fighter", the purpose - anti - satellite defense ) and US (Universal Satellite, global maritime intelligence), started in OKB-52 GKAT in the late 1950s - early 1960s. In 1960, specialists of KBT-1 GKOT joined them. Since 1961, two of these structures and a significant number of related organizations and institutions have been working on a space-based system to detect US-K ballistic missile launches. In 1964 , in the course of the personnel changes that took place in the highest echelons of power of the USSR, KB-1 was determined to lead the development of the IP, US-A and US-K systems, after which the pace of work on these projects slowed down dramatically and they actually collapse ( Eye "began only in 1979 with the launch of four vehicles). ^[3]

Since the late 1960s, the development of the Oko missile attack warning system, jointly with the Kometa Central Research Institute and the Ministry of Defense's NII-45 . Includes 4 US-KS satellites and 1 US-KMO (71Х6) Prognoz. The first satellite, Cosmos-520 , was launched in September 1972. After carrying out flight design tests, the first generation US-KS system, Government Decree No. 5721 in January 1979, the Oko system was put into service, by order of the Minister of Defense No. 00178 of December 27, 1982, was put on alert . As of April 2003, the system consisted of 8 US-KS satellites in high-elliptical orbits and four US-KMO (71Х6) in geostationary orbits; two command points - the west ( Solnechnogorsk ) and east. It also included the Crocus display system and the terminals of the command command system Kazbek, which were located at the President of the Russian Federation , the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff . By presidential decree No. 1770 in December 1996, the SPRN was put into service in 2002, after entering the eastern command post, it took up combat duty ^[4] .

On September 26, 1983, the system issued a false missile attack warning . The alarm on September 26, 1983, was recognized as a false decision by the operational duty command center " Serpukhov-15 ", located 100 km from Moscow , Lieutenant Colonel S. E. Petrov ^[5] . His actions due to military secrecy and political considerations became known to the general public only in 1993 , when Colonel-General Yu. V. Votintsev (during the described events, Commander of the Anti-Ballistic and Anti-Space Defense of the USSR ^[6] ) published a summary of these events ^[7] .

In addition, since 1984, one US-KS spacecraft (the Oko-S system) has been deployed in geostationary orbit . It was the same basic satellite, slightly modified for operation in the geostationary orbit. These satellites were placed at a point of standing at 24 ° west longitude, providing observation of the central part of the United States at the edge of the visible disk of the Earth.

Since February 1991, the deployment of the Eye-1 system from second-generation 71X6 satellites in geostationary orbit began in parallel.

The grouping of satellites at the beginning of 2008 consisted of one spacecraft 71x6 "Cosmos-2379" in geostationary orbit and two devices such as US-KS 73D6 ("Cosmos-2422", "Cosmos-2430") on highly elliptical ones. The last two 73D6 type vehicles were launched on October 23, 2007 ^[8] and December 2, 2008 ^[9] . In place of the old satellites, it is planned to launch vehicles of the Unified space system for detection and combat control starting from 2009 .

At the beginning of 2014, the 71H6 unit went into a non-operational state and, as of June 2014, was removed from combat duty ^[10] .

On January 5, 2019, the Kosmos-2430 satellite was planned to be deactivated ^{[11] [12]} . The cameras of the FOX television channel during the broadcast of the cricket match in New Zealand captured the time of the death of the Russian satellite Kosmos-2430 ^[13] .

• Eye-1 (US-KMO)

• Tikhonov S. G. The defense enterprises of the USSR and Russia: in 2 tons . - M .: TOM, 2010. - T. 1. - 608 p. - 1000 copies - ISBN 978-5-903603-02-2 .
• Tikhonov S. G. The defense enterprises of the USSR and Russia: in 2 tons . - Moscow : Tom, 2010. - T. 2. - 608 p. - 1000 copies - ISBN 978-5-903603-03-9 .