Istrebitel Sputnikov, or IS (, ИС, meaning "destroyer of satellites"), was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

anti-satellite weapon Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for Military strategy, strategic or Military tactics, tactical purposes. Although no ASAT system has been utilized in warfare, a few countries (China, ...

s programme which led to the deployment of the IS-A or I2P system during the 1970s and 1980s. IS satellites were originally intended to launch on

UR-200 The UR-200 was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by Vladimir Chelomey's OKB-52 in the Soviet Union. It was known during the Cold War by the NATO reporting name SS-10 ''wiktionary:scrag, Scrag'' and internally by the GRAU ind ...

rockets, but following the cancellation of the UR-200, the Polyot, Tsyklon-2A and

Tsyklon-2 The Tsyklon-2 (), also known as Tsiklon-2 and Tsyklon-M (known as SL-11 by the United States United States Department of Defense, DoD), GRAU index 11K69, was a Soviet Union, Soviet, later Ukraine, Ukrainian, orbital carrier rocket used from the ...

rockets were used instead. The first test flights of the IS spacecraft used the I1P configuration, and served to demonstrate the propulsion and control systems of the spacecraft. Both were launched by Polyot rockets, and were designated Polyot 1 and Polyot 2. They were launched on 1 November 1963 and 12 April 1964 respectively. Following this, IS-A or I2P interceptors and IS-P or I2M targets were launched. Only four IS-P targets were launched before the type was replaced by the cheaper DS-P1-M satellite, launched as part of the

Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik (; ), also known as DS, was a series of satellites launched by the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1982. DS satellites were used for a number of missions, including technological and scientific research, and radar tracking t ...

programme. Later IS-A tests intercepted DS-P1-M satellites, or the

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

satellites that succeeded them.

Kosmos 248 intercept

In November 1968, 4 years after Polyot 1 and 2 were tested for a potential Satellite intercept, Kosmos 248 was successfully destroyed by Kosmos 252 which came within the 5km 'kill radius' and destroyed Kosmos 248 by detonating its warhead.

References

{{weapons-stub Space weapons Soviet military spacecraft 1963 in spaceflight 1982 in spaceflight Abandoned military projects of the Soviet Union

Kosmos 248 intercept

See also

References