Mission type | Reconnaissance |
---|---|
Operator | VKS |
COSPAR ID | 2008-037A |
SATCAT no. | 33272 |
Mission duration | 3-5 years (planned) ~2 months (achieved) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Persona |
Manufacturer |
TsSKB Progress LOMO Vavilov State Optical Institute NPO Opteks |
Launch mass | ~7,000 kilograms (15,000 lb) [1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 26 July 2008, 18:31:36 | UTC
Rocket | Soyuz-2-1b |
Launch site | Plesetsk 43/4 |
End of mission | |
Last contact | ~September 2008 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Sun-synchronous |
Perigee altitude | 714 kilometres (444 mi) [2] |
Apogee altitude | 732 kilometres (455 mi) [2] |
Inclination | 98.3 degrees [2] |
Epoch | 31 July 2008 [2] |
Kosmos 2441 ( Russian: Космос 2441 meaning Cosmos 2441), also known as Persona No.1, was a Russian optical reconnaissance satellite launched in 2008. The first Persona satellite, it failed a few months into its mission, which was scheduled to have lasted three to five years. It was the first Russian reconnaissance satellite to be placed into a Sun-synchronous orbit. [3]
Kosmos 2441 was launched by a Soyuz-2-1b carrier rocket flying from Site 43/4 of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch took place at 18:31:36 UTC on 26 July 2008, [4] and marked the first Soyuz-2-1b launch from Plesetsk. Following its successful deployment the satellite was given its Kosmos designation, and was assigned the International Designator 2008-037A and Satellite Catalog Number 33272. [5]
In February 2009, it was reported that Kosmos 2441 had failed shortly after launch. [6] The date of the failure was not announced, however the satellite was last seen to manoeuvre in September 2008. [7] The cause of the failure was reported to be an electrical problem, possibly caused by higher radiation levels encountered by the satellite in sun-synchronous orbit compared to previous satellites in lower-inclination orbits. [6] The next Persona satellite was not launched until 2013, when it was placed into orbit as Kosmos 2486. [8]