Serpukhov-15
| Serpukhov-15 | |
|---|---|
| Серпухов-15 | |
| Part of Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning | |
| Kurilovo, Kaluga Oblast | |
 Serpukhov-15
|
|
| Coordinates | 55°04′06″N 37°02′29″E / 55.068333°N 37.041389°E |
| Type | Satellite ground station |
| Site information | |
| Condition | operational |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1982 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 916th Independent Radio Technical Unit |
Serpukhov-15 (Russian: Серпухов-15) is a military townlet near Kurilovo in Kaluga Oblast which is the location of the western control centre for Russia's Oko satellites. These give early warning of ballistic missile launches, mainly from the continental United States. The site is part of the Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning and information from here is processed at the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces centre in Solnechnogorsk and could be used, together with early warning radar such as the Voronezh, for launch on warning or the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system. A similar facility is located at Pivan-1 in the Russian Far East.
The name Serpukhov-15 is a code name following the practice established to name closed cities and military facilities. It is named after the nearest city, Serpukhov in Moscow Oblast which is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) away.
Oko consists of two types of early warning satellites - US-K and US-KMO. The older US-K satellites are in highly elliptical molniya orbits which give them coverage of the United States at certain times during the day. For full coverage of the US missile grounds four US-K satellites need to be operational and the system can have up to nine of them in orbit at once. The US-KMO satellites are geosynchronous satellites providing continuous coverage. In total, 101 satellites have been launched.
...
Wikipedia