Trajectory & orbital insertion
Ascent path is a representation — true ascent telemetry isn’t public.
Provider
Russian Space Forces
Provider type
Government
Orbit
LEO
Mission type
Government/Top Secret
Launch site
Russia
Date
Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:50:00 GMT
Orbital launch #
#4678 ever
Mission
Film-return reconnaisance satellite. Maneuvered on October 1 to a 213 x 330 km orbit. Believed to be an improved Yantar-4K1 with a longer lifetime - and given the code name 'Kobalt' previously applied to the defunct Yantar-4K2 system. When re-entry was commanded after only 107 days in orbit, there was speculation that problems had arisen with the satellite. Sources claimed the satellite had some kind of control problem, which was brought under control, and the two smaller film return capsules were successfully returned.