Gorisont

Gorisont
Type:	Communications satellite
Country:	Soviet Union / Russia
Operator:	RSCC
Mission dates
Dimensions:	2200 kg
Begin:	December 19, 1978 - June 6, 2000
Launcher:	proton
Status:	inactive
Orbit data
Track height:	35,786 km ( GEO )

Soviet postage stamp with Gorisont satellite

Gorisont ( Russian Горизонт for horizon ) is the name of a series of 35 geostationary communication satellites .

The satellites were launched from Baikonur by the Soviet Union (Gorisont 11 to Gorisont 24) and then by Russia (Gorisont 25 to Gorisont 45) from 1978 to 2000 , built by NPO Prikladnoj Mechaniki and operated by the Russian Satellite Communications Company .

history

The satellites were originally planned for broadcasting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow . The first take-off took place on December 19, 1978 at 12:15 UTC, as with all other take-offs from Baikonur on a Proton . After the start of the first four satellites and the end of the Olympic Games, the system was integrated into the YeSSS Unified Satellite Communication System for civil and military communication. So all five time zones of Russia could be supplied. After the end of the program, the satellites were replaced by the Express satellites.

construction

All satellites were built on the basis of the KAUR-3 satellite bus. With a length of five meters, the diameter was two meters. With the help of liquid engines, the satellites were stabilized on three axes. The total of 25 square meters of sun sails provided an electrical output of 1280 watts.

The majority of the seven transmitting antennas were used for general purposes such as television or radio. 4.6 GHz transponders were used for this. For military communications, 14.11 GHz and 1.5 / 1.6 GHz transponders were used. Above all, the Russian Navy resorted to this communication option.

Web links

• Description of the manufacturer ( Memento from September 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gorisont in the Encyclopedia Astronautica , accessed on September 21, 2014 (English).