Kosmos 2393 ( meaning ''Cosmos 2393'') is a Russian

US-K Upravlyaemy Sputnik Kontinentalny ( meaning ''Continental Controllable Satellite'') or US-K () is a series of Russian, previously Soviet Union, Soviet, satellites used to detect missile launches as part of the Oko system. It consists of a constell ...

missile

early warning satellite An early warning satellite is an artificial satellite that detects ballistic missile launches in order to provide rapid early warning of a potential missile attack. Modern examples are often multi-purpose vehicles also supporting other wide-area ...

which was launched in 2002 as part of the

Russian Space Forces The Russian Space Forces () is the space force branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It was reestablished following the August 1, 2015 merger between the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces, after the independent arm of s ...

Oko OKO (, obsolete Russian word for eye, also an abbreviation for Ob'yedinonnyye Kristallom Osnovaniya (, literal meaning Foundations Bound by a Crystal)) is a complex of two skyscrapers located on plot 16 in the Moscow International Business Cen ...

programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using

optical telescope An optical telescope gathers and focus (optics), focuses light mainly from the visible spectrum, visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnification, magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to co ...

s and

infrared sensor Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared imag ...

s. Kosmos 2393 was launched from Site 16/2 at

Plesetsk Cosmodrome Plesetsk Cosmodrome () is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, near the town of Plesetsk, from which it takes its name. Until 2025 and the commissioning of the Andøya Space, Andøya base in Norway, it was the only operati ...

in Russia. A

Molniya-M The Molniya-M (, GRAU index: 8K78M) was a Soviet and Russian launch vehicle derived from the R-7 Semyorka Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The original 8K78 booster had been the product of a rushed development program and its launc ...

carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 12:20 UTC on 24 December 2002. The launch successfully placed the satellite into a

molniya orbit A Molniya orbit ( rus, Молния, p=ˈmolnʲɪjə, a=Ru-молния.ogg, "Lightning") is a type of satellite orbit designed to provide communications and remote sensing coverage over high latitudes. It is a highly elliptical orbit with ...

. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 2002-059A. The

United States Space Command United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and greater ...

assigned it the

Satellite Catalog Number The Satellite Catalog Number (SATCAT), also known as NORAD Catalog Number, NORAD ID, USSPACECOM object number, is a sequential nine-digit number assigned by the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), and previously the North American Aerospac ...

27613. It stopped undertaking maneuvers to remain in its orbital position in February 2007 which probably indicates that it was not working from that date. It re-entered on December 22, 2013, according to one source.

References

{{Oko Kosmos satellites Spacecraft launched in 2002 Spacecraft which reentered in 2013 Oko Spacecraft launched by Molniya-M rockets

See also

References