Kosmos 954
Sketch of Kosmos 954
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| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1977-090A |
| SATCAT № | 10361 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13:55:00, September 18, 1977 |
| Rocket | Tsyklon-2 |
| Launch site | Tyuratam |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | January 24, 1978 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Eccentricity | 0.00135 |
| Perigee | 259 km (161 mi) |
| Apogee | 277 km (172 mi) |
| Inclination | 65° |
| Period | 89.6 min |
| Epoch | September 18, 1977 |
Kosmos 954 (Russian: 954) was a reconnaissance satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1977. A malfunction prevented safe separation of its onboard nuclear reactor; when the satellite reentered the Earth's atmosphere the following year, it scattered radioactive debris over northern Canada, prompting an extensive cleanup operation.
The satellite was part of the Soviet Union's RORSAT programme, a series of reconnaissance satellites which observed ocean traffic, including surface vessels and nuclear submarines, using active radar. It was assigned the Kosmos number 954 and was launched on September 18, 1977 at 13:55 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, on a Tsyklon-2 carrier rocket. With an orbital inclination of 65°, a periapsis of 259 kilometres (161 mi) and apoapsis of 277 kilometres (172 mi), it orbited the Earth every 89.5 minutes. Powered by a liquid sodium-potassium thermionic converter driven by a nuclear reactor containing around 50 kilograms (110 lb) of uranium-235, the satellite was intended for long-term on-orbit observation, but by December 1977 the satellite had deviated from its designed orbit and its flightpath was becoming increasingly erratic.
In mid-December North American Aerospace Defense Command, which had assigned the satellite the Satellite Catalog Number 10361, noticed Kosmos 954 making erratic manoeuvres, changing the altitude of its orbit by up to 50 miles, as its Soviet operators struggled to control their failing spacecraft. In secret meetings, Soviet officials warned their US counterparts that they had lost control over the vehicle, and that the system which was intended to propel the spent reactor core into a safe disposal orbit had failed.
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