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A Molniya orbit (Russian: Молния, IPA: [ˈmolnʲɪjə] ⓘ, "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 an inclination of 63.4 degrees , an argument of perigee of 270 degrees, and an orbital period of approximately half a ...
The first Molniya 2 satellites were tested from 1971 with the first operational satellite launching in 1974 from Plesetsk. The used the same satellite bus and basic design as later model Molniya 1 satellites, but with an expanded number of users under the military's Unified System of Satellite Communications (YeSSS) program. Development was ...
The ground track of a Molniya orbit. If the argument of perigee is zero, meaning that perigee and apogee lie in the equatorial plane, then the ground track of the satellite will appear the same above and below the equator (i.e., it will exhibit 180° rotational symmetry about the orbital nodes.) If the argument of perigee is non-zero, however ...
The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 2008-062A. [3] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 33447. [3] Ground track of Kosmos 2446
The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 32268. [3] In May 2012, it did not perform a manoeuvre and drifted off station. [4] On 5 January 2019, it was caught on video [9] as it de-orbited over the North Island of New Zealand. [10] [11] Ground track of Kosmos 2430
The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 37170. [3] It was the last launch of a US-K satellite and the last launch of a Molniya-M rocket. [5] On 15 October 2022, Kosmos 2469 re-entered the atmosphere. [6] Ground track of Kosmos 2469
A highly elliptical orbit (HEO) is an elliptic orbit with high eccentricity, usually referring to one around Earth. Examples of inclined HEO orbits include Molniya orbits , named after the Molniya Soviet communication satellites which used them, and Tundra orbits .
For Earth this means a period of just under 12 hours at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,544.2 miles) if the orbit is circular. [16] Molniya orbit: A semi-synchronous variation of a Tundra orbit. For Earth this means an orbital period of just under 12 hours. Such a satellite spends most of its time over two designated areas of the ...