Mission type | Early warning |
---|---|
Operator | VKS |
COSPAR ID | 2008-033A |
SATCAT no. | 33108 |
Mission duration | 5–7 years (estimate) 20 months (actual) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | US-KMO (71Kh6) [1] |
Manufacturer | Lavochkin [1] |
Launch mass | 2,600 kilograms (5,700 lb) [1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 26 June 2008, 23:59:00[2] | UTC
Rocket | Proton-K/ DM-2 |
Launch site | Baikonur 81/24 |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | February 2010 [3] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Geostationary |
Longitude | 80E [4] |
Instruments | |
Infrared telescope with 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) aperture [1] | |
Kosmos 2440 ( Russian: Космос 2440 meaning Cosmos 2440) is a Russian US-KMO missile early warning satellite which was launched in 2008 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using infrared telescopes. [2] It spent its two-year operational life at 80E giving early warning coverage of Russia, China, North Korea, the Middle East and some of Europe. [4]
Kosmos 2440 was launched from Site 81/24 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A Proton-K carrier rocket with a DM-2 upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 23:59 UTC on 26 June 2008. [2] [5] The launch successfully placed the satellite into geostationary orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 2008-033A. [2] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 33108. [2]
When the satellite was launched US-KMO satellite Kosmos 2379 was also operational although this failed late 2009/early 2010 after an 8-year life. [4] Kosmos 2440 itself started drifting off station in February 2010 giving an operational life of less than two years. [3] [4]
Kosmos 2440 was replaced by Kosmos 2479 which was launched in March 2012. [6]