Country of origin Soviet Union
Russia Applications Communication Batteries Nickel hydrogen Derivative Gonets | Operator VKS/GRU
VKO Design life 5 years Regime Low Earth orbit | |
 | ||
Power 40 Watts from solar panels Manufacturer Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev Similar Persona, Gorizont, US‑KMO, Prognoz, Kondor | ||
Strela (Russian: Стрела, arrow) is a Russian (previously Soviet) military communications satellite constellation operating in low Earth orbit.
Contents
These satellites operate as mailboxes ("store-and-forward"): they remember the received messages and then resend them after scheduled time, or by command from the Earth. Some sources state the satellites are capable of only three months of active operation, but in accordance to others they can serve for about five years. The satellites are used for transmission of encrypted messages and images.
History
The first three satellites, Kosmos 38 (reentered 1964-11-08), Kosmos 39 (reentered 1964-11-17) and Kosmos 40 (reentered 1964-11-17), were launched on 18 August 1964. Five different types of Strela satellites have been launched, designated Strela-1 (1964-65), Strela-1M (1970-1992), Strela-2 (1965-1968), Strela-2M (1970-1994), and Strela-3 (1985-2010). Strela satellites are also used for the civilian Gonets program. The current version of Strela, Strela-3M is also known as Rodnik.
Accidents and incidents
