Mission type Early warning SATCAT no. 10150 Spacecraft type US-K | COSPAR ID 1977-068A Mission duration 4 years Launch date 20 July 1977 | |
Launch mass 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb) People also search for Kosmos 917, Kosmos 903, Kosmos 1223 | ||
Kosmos 931 (Russian: Космос 931 meaning Cosmos 931) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1977 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.
Kosmos 931 was launched from Site 43/3 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian SSR. A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 04:44 UTC on 20 July 1977. The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1977-068A. The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 10150.
Podvig says that it self-destructed and never reached the correct orbit.