Issue 17

Geek Out! A Study of Russian Optical Systems

Russia currently has only two operational Persona optical reconnaissance satellites in orbit, both of which may already have exceeded their design lifetime.

– 3 Persona satellites were launched, the first failed shortly after arriving on orbit. Operational Persona include Kosmos-2486 (2013) and Kosmos-2506 (2015). (VIDEO)

– The Kosmos-2486 and -2506 orbits are synchronized to provide maximum coverage of areas of interest on Earth. Despite the trouble-plagued start of both missions, the satellites appear to be operating normally ever since.

However, if their design lifetime is five years, both have exceeded it by now.

– The Persona satellites operate in conjunction with two military data relay satellites named Garpun (“Harpoon”). They were launched in Sep 2011 and Dec 2015 after many years of delays (the project was initiated in 1993). The second satellite is known to have been used for laser communication experiments with the third Persona satellite using an on-board laser terminal called LT-150. Only two of the Garpun satellites were manufactured and their design lifetime is unknown. A constellation of at least three satellites is required for full-time coverage.

– The Persona will be replaced by more capable Razdan satellites carrying a primary mirror roughly the same size as those believed to be aboard US reconnaissance satellites (estimated to be 2.4 meters, capable of .15m resolution), but it is unclear when these will be ready to fly.

– Procurement documentation suggests two Razdan satellites are under construction. Documentation released in September 2017 pointed to possible launch dates in late 2020 and late 2021, but these dates are likely to have slipped since then.

– An experimental satellite launched in 2018 is likely the precursor of a constellation of smaller satellites to augment imagery provided by the big satellites.

– On March 29, 2018, Russia launched a small military satellite (EMKA), Kosmos-2525, from Plesetsk. It was placed into an orbit of roughly 320 by 350 KM with an inclination of 96.64°.

– EMKA is described as an “Experimental Small Satellite”, to serve as the basis for a “space-based Earth remote sensing complex.”

– EMKA may be comparable to the first in a series of American commercial Earth imaging satellites called SkySat-1 with a maximum resolution of 0.9 meters in panchromatic mode.

Russia is relying on two aging Persona satellites to provide high-resolution imagery in the interests of the Ministry of Defense. Both are functioning normally after overcoming significant problems during initial in-orbit testing. However, there is no guarantee they will continue to operate until the next-generation Razdan satellites are ready. This may be the reason for the development of a much smaller and simpler type of spy satellite (Razbeg) to help bridge the gap to Razdan and complement the imagery provided by the big satellites. The likely experimental precursor of these satellites (EMKA/Kosmos-2525) reached the launch pad just 2.5 years after being approved. The resolution offered by the smaller satellites will not match that of Razdan. The Ministry of Defense also operates two four-ton observation satellites called Bars-M (launched as Kosmos-2503 and 2515), but these are used for low-resolution cartographic imaging.