middoti bull
DECLASSIFIED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE INTERAGENCY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION APPEALS PANEL EO 13526 SECTION 53(b)(3)
ISCAP APPEAL NO 2009-068 document no 208 DECLASSTFICA TION DATE May 14 2015
DOWNGRADED TO UNCLASSIFIED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BY
NORADUSNORTHCOMCSO RECO MAR 5-as SEPTEMBER 2009
NORAD ce
~ ~ ~ ~ c ) J
w 6 ~
Issue No 1 March 1968
Communist Military Ccpablities
UNltlENTFlEO VEHlCLE LA lJNClf E D FROM PIE SpoundTSK tATlgt A NEW OR MODFltD WF PON SYSTEI4
Haa d ten $1 Z ~tegts
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
LU NAR 1gt10BE JTT EMPT MAY COME lN EltRL MARCH
Mucb Iikigt 7 middotFcb 68 a rlo)npt DEFEC TOR CONFRMS JSE OFmiddot FOLDEOmiddot LlGHTshyPATH OPTiCS FOR SOVlET PlmiddotJOTORFCCE SAlELrttpound5
Thoir uscmiddot hud been anticipated i middotbull 2 MlSSTON NOT CL COSMOS 20
Trugtnnhlaioiui are middotlike predbC e$ ~6~$ bull COHRE CTION
Cosmo 201 P fltgtrhited 14 Fe~ not middotl Feb
bull nymiddot at f ra gtowav6 propigt-tion aniOl tc~tlp6ecsc raft eo~ponent-s
COSMOS Z-03 PROSABhY A NAVAlD-TYPE SATELLltE
2
3
8
8
9
10
middot fO
S0VlETS PR0P0SE J01NT US-USS n CEODETIC STOOLES WlilCH VCULD liELP U SSR BUi NOt US lJ
WouJd bmiddote r odundlgtat or US HESTARTAl3LE lilPPER STA CUibull(i)f COSMOSES t18 3m 185 PROBABLY iNTENDpound0 Fon MlLltAR MlSSlONS I I
Loom_cncd by SSmiddotltJ lCSM
IJ
COVEll llfSOl1 4 ~jet haavy bon1b~ r (l r ongt Rod 5rlrl (0fF1ClA USF ONL Yl
NOTpound Pogca ao J~ n bull 3 6 r 31 ot thi$ ia bull a~e bllgtnk
UNCl-4shy
ASSIFIED FOR OFFJCIAl USpound ONLY
IJ lf
SEampRET
COMM UNISt M-IL ITARY C A pA 8 Ill TIES
current dev emiddotlop men t s and tren ds in t~he orm ed f Qr ces
middot of the Communht World
The Soviets launched a new or modified vebide ofunidentilied type
Unidentified Vehjcle Launched from Plesetsk Fails a New or Modified Weapon System
rom the P~esets~ Missile and Spac~ complex on 12 February Tlle- test failed shortly befltgtre s-econd- stage b urnout when an imbaiance in the hre1 and oxidizer residual volumes resulted in premature fuel depletion
Pre~iminary analysis ofl lindicate s that
lit
If thls was a new systern it is the fir s t ta nave its i_niti~l l~unch at Ptesetsk (DlA) tsECRE T)
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
- 2shyWIR 9 6middot8 1 Mar 1968 SECREJ
SEGREl
Lunar Probe Attempt May Come in Early March
significant
int-eH~ence
on spac~
developments
and trends
The Soviets may launch a lunar probe about 5 March A similar attempt on 7 F middotebrlary 1968 ailed brecause- o1 booster malf~nction
It ~s not known whether the expecteQ craft wil1 be a lunar lander or a lunar orbiter The greater Iikeliliood is that it will be a lunar orbiter taske~ to collect high-re~olution 9ideo of the areas where the Soviets tw9 lunar lanliers Luna 9 and Luna 13 ccune to rest on the Moon middotin 1966 The Soviets apparently havemiddot a special interest inthis ~rea which may be a favored sitemiddot for their first manned luna-r landing Lun~r photegraphy publish~d by the US would be of little help to them because the USs lunar orbiters did not obtain high-resolution plw~bgraphy of this particular ar~a
nl-e expected March launch would not be relajed to the S0viets 1 abortive 22 Nov-ember 19~7 ~ttempt to seod an unmanoed ~middotpacecraft around the moon and recover it on the Earth using the SL l middotG propulsion system None oi the vast prepa1middotatory dilployment of ships noted for the ~2 Navember launch has been in evidence The forthcoming launch would be mo1e similar in mission anQ proshypuls~~gtn to ~he 1 Felgtruary 1968 launch NORA D) (SEGREt
Defector Confirms Use of Folded-Light-Patfl Optics for Soviet Photorecce SateUites
A defector repoTts that the cameras aboard Soviet photoreconnaisshys ance satellites 11use many mirrors n to sho~ten the pbysical length of the l(mgshyfqcal-length ~ens syt~m His statement jmpHes the use of fo~ded-light-patl optics to cgtbtain the long focal lengths needed tor the lens resolution required in photography by satelliteewithout increasing the physical smiddotize opound the camebullra This technique is in common use for obtaWng highresolution imageTy with a compact tdescopi-c system It had been postUlated th~t tlre Soyiets wer-e using
bull such a system middot
-8shy
WIR 968 1 Mar 1968 SECRET
-SE~~~-----------------------------------------VVA~see reil bull
The defector said however that he was lldisappointed in the alleged impr-ovement in the constructioll of the ~elep)oto lens with regard to its length becaus-emiddot the new equipment w(ls contained in a structure of consi-derable size tt
The main can)erasmiddot on the C0middotsmos vehicles which the intelfigence comshymunity assesf)es as 11high- reaoJution ph(j)torecce satellites 11 are belimiddoteved to have a resolVlting capability of 5-8 ieet rem an altitude distance 0f about 120 n m This would requiremiddot a lens focal length on the order of 1500 mm (4 feet 11 inches) However the large size of tlltle camera unit about which the defector complained could be attr ibuted to the packaging of several cameras in one payshyload unit Soviet high-resolution photorec~e satellites are believed to carmiddotry at least two prime cameras for the sensor system p~us one indexlng and tw o horizon- sensing cameras middot FTD)
(SEC~E
Cosmos 202 MissiQn Not Clear
T e Soviets launchemiddotd Gosmos 2 02 from Kapus tin Yar (KY) at about 1003Z ZO February using the SL- 7 launch system wibh a possmiddotibly modified second stage Orbital pa-rameters have been reported as fo~lows
Inclination 4 8 4 d~grees PeTiodshy 91 4 minutes Apog_ee 272 n m Perigee 116 n m Life expectancymiddot Less than 1 month
r-------------------------Jthese did not begin
The misslon of this satellite has not been identified H-owever 1 tlie one of irs missions may be
~------~~----~----~----~------------------~ a research experiment in radio -wa-ve propagation which may be directly rer-middot-- lated to the test ancent I or deve lmiment of a navigation satellite system The 1____I Ihave been characteristic of d-evelopshymental navigation- aid sat ellite-s ( s ~~e next WIR item)
Another possible mission is flight test opound subsyste~s or components which are to be used in future Soviet spacecr-aft In tmiddothis connection it n~ay be relevant that Cosmos 202 1~ similar i n certairi respects to Cesmos 149 which7
according to the Soviet press tested various spacecraft cemponents (WIR 1667) Both these Cosmo~es weve lau-nehed from KY by the SL- 7 propvlsion system at about the same time 0 pound day (1 0072 for Cesmos 149 10032 for Cosmos 202) both had rel atively low pemiddotrigee~ and comparatively short 0rbital life expectancies (NORAD)
9 seeretiiE~R 968 I Mor 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
NORAD ce
~ ~ ~ ~ c ) J
w 6 ~
Issue No 1 March 1968
Communist Military Ccpablities
UNltlENTFlEO VEHlCLE LA lJNClf E D FROM PIE SpoundTSK tATlgt A NEW OR MODFltD WF PON SYSTEI4
Haa d ten $1 Z ~tegts
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
LU NAR 1gt10BE JTT EMPT MAY COME lN EltRL MARCH
Mucb Iikigt 7 middotFcb 68 a rlo)npt DEFEC TOR CONFRMS JSE OFmiddot FOLDEOmiddot LlGHTshyPATH OPTiCS FOR SOVlET PlmiddotJOTORFCCE SAlELrttpound5
Thoir uscmiddot hud been anticipated i middotbull 2 MlSSTON NOT CL COSMOS 20
Trugtnnhlaioiui are middotlike predbC e$ ~6~$ bull COHRE CTION
Cosmo 201 P fltgtrhited 14 Fe~ not middotl Feb
bull nymiddot at f ra gtowav6 propigt-tion aniOl tc~tlp6ecsc raft eo~ponent-s
COSMOS Z-03 PROSABhY A NAVAlD-TYPE SATELLltE
2
3
8
8
9
10
middot fO
S0VlETS PR0P0SE J01NT US-USS n CEODETIC STOOLES WlilCH VCULD liELP U SSR BUi NOt US lJ
WouJd bmiddote r odundlgtat or US HESTARTAl3LE lilPPER STA CUibull(i)f COSMOSES t18 3m 185 PROBABLY iNTENDpound0 Fon MlLltAR MlSSlONS I I
Loom_cncd by SSmiddotltJ lCSM
IJ
COVEll llfSOl1 4 ~jet haavy bon1b~ r (l r ongt Rod 5rlrl (0fF1ClA USF ONL Yl
NOTpound Pogca ao J~ n bull 3 6 r 31 ot thi$ ia bull a~e bllgtnk
UNCl-4shy
ASSIFIED FOR OFFJCIAl USpound ONLY
IJ lf
SEampRET
COMM UNISt M-IL ITARY C A pA 8 Ill TIES
current dev emiddotlop men t s and tren ds in t~he orm ed f Qr ces
middot of the Communht World
The Soviets launched a new or modified vebide ofunidentilied type
Unidentified Vehjcle Launched from Plesetsk Fails a New or Modified Weapon System
rom the P~esets~ Missile and Spac~ complex on 12 February Tlle- test failed shortly befltgtre s-econd- stage b urnout when an imbaiance in the hre1 and oxidizer residual volumes resulted in premature fuel depletion
Pre~iminary analysis ofl lindicate s that
lit
If thls was a new systern it is the fir s t ta nave its i_niti~l l~unch at Ptesetsk (DlA) tsECRE T)
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
- 2shyWIR 9 6middot8 1 Mar 1968 SECREJ
SEGREl
Lunar Probe Attempt May Come in Early March
significant
int-eH~ence
on spac~
developments
and trends
The Soviets may launch a lunar probe about 5 March A similar attempt on 7 F middotebrlary 1968 ailed brecause- o1 booster malf~nction
It ~s not known whether the expecteQ craft wil1 be a lunar lander or a lunar orbiter The greater Iikeliliood is that it will be a lunar orbiter taske~ to collect high-re~olution 9ideo of the areas where the Soviets tw9 lunar lanliers Luna 9 and Luna 13 ccune to rest on the Moon middotin 1966 The Soviets apparently havemiddot a special interest inthis ~rea which may be a favored sitemiddot for their first manned luna-r landing Lun~r photegraphy publish~d by the US would be of little help to them because the USs lunar orbiters did not obtain high-resolution plw~bgraphy of this particular ar~a
nl-e expected March launch would not be relajed to the S0viets 1 abortive 22 Nov-ember 19~7 ~ttempt to seod an unmanoed ~middotpacecraft around the moon and recover it on the Earth using the SL l middotG propulsion system None oi the vast prepa1middotatory dilployment of ships noted for the ~2 Navember launch has been in evidence The forthcoming launch would be mo1e similar in mission anQ proshypuls~~gtn to ~he 1 Felgtruary 1968 launch NORA D) (SEGREt
Defector Confirms Use of Folded-Light-Patfl Optics for Soviet Photorecce SateUites
A defector repoTts that the cameras aboard Soviet photoreconnaisshys ance satellites 11use many mirrors n to sho~ten the pbysical length of the l(mgshyfqcal-length ~ens syt~m His statement jmpHes the use of fo~ded-light-patl optics to cgtbtain the long focal lengths needed tor the lens resolution required in photography by satelliteewithout increasing the physical smiddotize opound the camebullra This technique is in common use for obtaWng highresolution imageTy with a compact tdescopi-c system It had been postUlated th~t tlre Soyiets wer-e using
bull such a system middot
-8shy
WIR 968 1 Mar 1968 SECRET
-SE~~~-----------------------------------------VVA~see reil bull
The defector said however that he was lldisappointed in the alleged impr-ovement in the constructioll of the ~elep)oto lens with regard to its length becaus-emiddot the new equipment w(ls contained in a structure of consi-derable size tt
The main can)erasmiddot on the C0middotsmos vehicles which the intelfigence comshymunity assesf)es as 11high- reaoJution ph(j)torecce satellites 11 are belimiddoteved to have a resolVlting capability of 5-8 ieet rem an altitude distance 0f about 120 n m This would requiremiddot a lens focal length on the order of 1500 mm (4 feet 11 inches) However the large size of tlltle camera unit about which the defector complained could be attr ibuted to the packaging of several cameras in one payshyload unit Soviet high-resolution photorec~e satellites are believed to carmiddotry at least two prime cameras for the sensor system p~us one indexlng and tw o horizon- sensing cameras middot FTD)
(SEC~E
Cosmos 202 MissiQn Not Clear
T e Soviets launchemiddotd Gosmos 2 02 from Kapus tin Yar (KY) at about 1003Z ZO February using the SL- 7 launch system wibh a possmiddotibly modified second stage Orbital pa-rameters have been reported as fo~lows
Inclination 4 8 4 d~grees PeTiodshy 91 4 minutes Apog_ee 272 n m Perigee 116 n m Life expectancymiddot Less than 1 month
r-------------------------Jthese did not begin
The misslon of this satellite has not been identified H-owever 1 tlie one of irs missions may be
~------~~----~----~----~------------------~ a research experiment in radio -wa-ve propagation which may be directly rer-middot-- lated to the test ancent I or deve lmiment of a navigation satellite system The 1____I Ihave been characteristic of d-evelopshymental navigation- aid sat ellite-s ( s ~~e next WIR item)
Another possible mission is flight test opound subsyste~s or components which are to be used in future Soviet spacecr-aft In tmiddothis connection it n~ay be relevant that Cosmos 202 1~ similar i n certairi respects to Cesmos 149 which7
according to the Soviet press tested various spacecraft cemponents (WIR 1667) Both these Cosmo~es weve lau-nehed from KY by the SL- 7 propvlsion system at about the same time 0 pound day (1 0072 for Cesmos 149 10032 for Cosmos 202) both had rel atively low pemiddotrigee~ and comparatively short 0rbital life expectancies (NORAD)
9 seeretiiE~R 968 I Mor 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
IJ lf
SEampRET
COMM UNISt M-IL ITARY C A pA 8 Ill TIES
current dev emiddotlop men t s and tren ds in t~he orm ed f Qr ces
middot of the Communht World
The Soviets launched a new or modified vebide ofunidentilied type
Unidentified Vehjcle Launched from Plesetsk Fails a New or Modified Weapon System
rom the P~esets~ Missile and Spac~ complex on 12 February Tlle- test failed shortly befltgtre s-econd- stage b urnout when an imbaiance in the hre1 and oxidizer residual volumes resulted in premature fuel depletion
Pre~iminary analysis ofl lindicate s that
lit
If thls was a new systern it is the fir s t ta nave its i_niti~l l~unch at Ptesetsk (DlA) tsECRE T)
Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal
- 2shyWIR 9 6middot8 1 Mar 1968 SECREJ
SEGREl
Lunar Probe Attempt May Come in Early March
significant
int-eH~ence
on spac~
developments
and trends
The Soviets may launch a lunar probe about 5 March A similar attempt on 7 F middotebrlary 1968 ailed brecause- o1 booster malf~nction
It ~s not known whether the expecteQ craft wil1 be a lunar lander or a lunar orbiter The greater Iikeliliood is that it will be a lunar orbiter taske~ to collect high-re~olution 9ideo of the areas where the Soviets tw9 lunar lanliers Luna 9 and Luna 13 ccune to rest on the Moon middotin 1966 The Soviets apparently havemiddot a special interest inthis ~rea which may be a favored sitemiddot for their first manned luna-r landing Lun~r photegraphy publish~d by the US would be of little help to them because the USs lunar orbiters did not obtain high-resolution plw~bgraphy of this particular ar~a
nl-e expected March launch would not be relajed to the S0viets 1 abortive 22 Nov-ember 19~7 ~ttempt to seod an unmanoed ~middotpacecraft around the moon and recover it on the Earth using the SL l middotG propulsion system None oi the vast prepa1middotatory dilployment of ships noted for the ~2 Navember launch has been in evidence The forthcoming launch would be mo1e similar in mission anQ proshypuls~~gtn to ~he 1 Felgtruary 1968 launch NORA D) (SEGREt
Defector Confirms Use of Folded-Light-Patfl Optics for Soviet Photorecce SateUites
A defector repoTts that the cameras aboard Soviet photoreconnaisshys ance satellites 11use many mirrors n to sho~ten the pbysical length of the l(mgshyfqcal-length ~ens syt~m His statement jmpHes the use of fo~ded-light-patl optics to cgtbtain the long focal lengths needed tor the lens resolution required in photography by satelliteewithout increasing the physical smiddotize opound the camebullra This technique is in common use for obtaWng highresolution imageTy with a compact tdescopi-c system It had been postUlated th~t tlre Soyiets wer-e using
bull such a system middot
-8shy
WIR 968 1 Mar 1968 SECRET
-SE~~~-----------------------------------------VVA~see reil bull
The defector said however that he was lldisappointed in the alleged impr-ovement in the constructioll of the ~elep)oto lens with regard to its length becaus-emiddot the new equipment w(ls contained in a structure of consi-derable size tt
The main can)erasmiddot on the C0middotsmos vehicles which the intelfigence comshymunity assesf)es as 11high- reaoJution ph(j)torecce satellites 11 are belimiddoteved to have a resolVlting capability of 5-8 ieet rem an altitude distance 0f about 120 n m This would requiremiddot a lens focal length on the order of 1500 mm (4 feet 11 inches) However the large size of tlltle camera unit about which the defector complained could be attr ibuted to the packaging of several cameras in one payshyload unit Soviet high-resolution photorec~e satellites are believed to carmiddotry at least two prime cameras for the sensor system p~us one indexlng and tw o horizon- sensing cameras middot FTD)
(SEC~E
Cosmos 202 MissiQn Not Clear
T e Soviets launchemiddotd Gosmos 2 02 from Kapus tin Yar (KY) at about 1003Z ZO February using the SL- 7 launch system wibh a possmiddotibly modified second stage Orbital pa-rameters have been reported as fo~lows
Inclination 4 8 4 d~grees PeTiodshy 91 4 minutes Apog_ee 272 n m Perigee 116 n m Life expectancymiddot Less than 1 month
r-------------------------Jthese did not begin
The misslon of this satellite has not been identified H-owever 1 tlie one of irs missions may be
~------~~----~----~----~------------------~ a research experiment in radio -wa-ve propagation which may be directly rer-middot-- lated to the test ancent I or deve lmiment of a navigation satellite system The 1____I Ihave been characteristic of d-evelopshymental navigation- aid sat ellite-s ( s ~~e next WIR item)
Another possible mission is flight test opound subsyste~s or components which are to be used in future Soviet spacecr-aft In tmiddothis connection it n~ay be relevant that Cosmos 202 1~ similar i n certairi respects to Cesmos 149 which7
according to the Soviet press tested various spacecraft cemponents (WIR 1667) Both these Cosmo~es weve lau-nehed from KY by the SL- 7 propvlsion system at about the same time 0 pound day (1 0072 for Cesmos 149 10032 for Cosmos 202) both had rel atively low pemiddotrigee~ and comparatively short 0rbital life expectancies (NORAD)
9 seeretiiE~R 968 I Mor 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
SEGREl
Lunar Probe Attempt May Come in Early March
significant
int-eH~ence
on spac~
developments
and trends
The Soviets may launch a lunar probe about 5 March A similar attempt on 7 F middotebrlary 1968 ailed brecause- o1 booster malf~nction
It ~s not known whether the expecteQ craft wil1 be a lunar lander or a lunar orbiter The greater Iikeliliood is that it will be a lunar orbiter taske~ to collect high-re~olution 9ideo of the areas where the Soviets tw9 lunar lanliers Luna 9 and Luna 13 ccune to rest on the Moon middotin 1966 The Soviets apparently havemiddot a special interest inthis ~rea which may be a favored sitemiddot for their first manned luna-r landing Lun~r photegraphy publish~d by the US would be of little help to them because the USs lunar orbiters did not obtain high-resolution plw~bgraphy of this particular ar~a
nl-e expected March launch would not be relajed to the S0viets 1 abortive 22 Nov-ember 19~7 ~ttempt to seod an unmanoed ~middotpacecraft around the moon and recover it on the Earth using the SL l middotG propulsion system None oi the vast prepa1middotatory dilployment of ships noted for the ~2 Navember launch has been in evidence The forthcoming launch would be mo1e similar in mission anQ proshypuls~~gtn to ~he 1 Felgtruary 1968 launch NORA D) (SEGREt
Defector Confirms Use of Folded-Light-Patfl Optics for Soviet Photorecce SateUites
A defector repoTts that the cameras aboard Soviet photoreconnaisshys ance satellites 11use many mirrors n to sho~ten the pbysical length of the l(mgshyfqcal-length ~ens syt~m His statement jmpHes the use of fo~ded-light-patl optics to cgtbtain the long focal lengths needed tor the lens resolution required in photography by satelliteewithout increasing the physical smiddotize opound the camebullra This technique is in common use for obtaWng highresolution imageTy with a compact tdescopi-c system It had been postUlated th~t tlre Soyiets wer-e using
bull such a system middot
-8shy
WIR 968 1 Mar 1968 SECRET
-SE~~~-----------------------------------------VVA~see reil bull
The defector said however that he was lldisappointed in the alleged impr-ovement in the constructioll of the ~elep)oto lens with regard to its length becaus-emiddot the new equipment w(ls contained in a structure of consi-derable size tt
The main can)erasmiddot on the C0middotsmos vehicles which the intelfigence comshymunity assesf)es as 11high- reaoJution ph(j)torecce satellites 11 are belimiddoteved to have a resolVlting capability of 5-8 ieet rem an altitude distance 0f about 120 n m This would requiremiddot a lens focal length on the order of 1500 mm (4 feet 11 inches) However the large size of tlltle camera unit about which the defector complained could be attr ibuted to the packaging of several cameras in one payshyload unit Soviet high-resolution photorec~e satellites are believed to carmiddotry at least two prime cameras for the sensor system p~us one indexlng and tw o horizon- sensing cameras middot FTD)
(SEC~E
Cosmos 202 MissiQn Not Clear
T e Soviets launchemiddotd Gosmos 2 02 from Kapus tin Yar (KY) at about 1003Z ZO February using the SL- 7 launch system wibh a possmiddotibly modified second stage Orbital pa-rameters have been reported as fo~lows
Inclination 4 8 4 d~grees PeTiodshy 91 4 minutes Apog_ee 272 n m Perigee 116 n m Life expectancymiddot Less than 1 month
r-------------------------Jthese did not begin
The misslon of this satellite has not been identified H-owever 1 tlie one of irs missions may be
~------~~----~----~----~------------------~ a research experiment in radio -wa-ve propagation which may be directly rer-middot-- lated to the test ancent I or deve lmiment of a navigation satellite system The 1____I Ihave been characteristic of d-evelopshymental navigation- aid sat ellite-s ( s ~~e next WIR item)
Another possible mission is flight test opound subsyste~s or components which are to be used in future Soviet spacecr-aft In tmiddothis connection it n~ay be relevant that Cosmos 202 1~ similar i n certairi respects to Cesmos 149 which7
according to the Soviet press tested various spacecraft cemponents (WIR 1667) Both these Cosmo~es weve lau-nehed from KY by the SL- 7 propvlsion system at about the same time 0 pound day (1 0072 for Cesmos 149 10032 for Cosmos 202) both had rel atively low pemiddotrigee~ and comparatively short 0rbital life expectancies (NORAD)
9 seeretiiE~R 968 I Mor 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
-SE~~~-----------------------------------------VVA~see reil bull
The defector said however that he was lldisappointed in the alleged impr-ovement in the constructioll of the ~elep)oto lens with regard to its length becaus-emiddot the new equipment w(ls contained in a structure of consi-derable size tt
The main can)erasmiddot on the C0middotsmos vehicles which the intelfigence comshymunity assesf)es as 11high- reaoJution ph(j)torecce satellites 11 are belimiddoteved to have a resolVlting capability of 5-8 ieet rem an altitude distance 0f about 120 n m This would requiremiddot a lens focal length on the order of 1500 mm (4 feet 11 inches) However the large size of tlltle camera unit about which the defector complained could be attr ibuted to the packaging of several cameras in one payshyload unit Soviet high-resolution photorec~e satellites are believed to carmiddotry at least two prime cameras for the sensor system p~us one indexlng and tw o horizon- sensing cameras middot FTD)
(SEC~E
Cosmos 202 MissiQn Not Clear
T e Soviets launchemiddotd Gosmos 2 02 from Kapus tin Yar (KY) at about 1003Z ZO February using the SL- 7 launch system wibh a possmiddotibly modified second stage Orbital pa-rameters have been reported as fo~lows
Inclination 4 8 4 d~grees PeTiodshy 91 4 minutes Apog_ee 272 n m Perigee 116 n m Life expectancymiddot Less than 1 month
r-------------------------Jthese did not begin
The misslon of this satellite has not been identified H-owever 1 tlie one of irs missions may be
~------~~----~----~----~------------------~ a research experiment in radio -wa-ve propagation which may be directly rer-middot-- lated to the test ancent I or deve lmiment of a navigation satellite system The 1____I Ihave been characteristic of d-evelopshymental navigation- aid sat ellite-s ( s ~~e next WIR item)
Another possible mission is flight test opound subsyste~s or components which are to be used in future Soviet spacecr-aft In tmiddothis connection it n~ay be relevant that Cosmos 202 1~ similar i n certairi respects to Cesmos 149 which7
according to the Soviet press tested various spacecraft cemponents (WIR 1667) Both these Cosmo~es weve lau-nehed from KY by the SL- 7 propvlsion system at about the same time 0 pound day (1 0072 for Cesmos 149 10032 for Cosmos 202) both had rel atively low pemiddotrigee~ and comparatively short 0rbital life expectancies (NORAD)
9 seeretiiE~R 968 I Mor 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
Cosmos 2(3 Prollably a Navaid-Type Sat~llite
Cos~os 203 which the Soviets launched from the Plesetsk space and missile complex at alraquout l600Z amp0 Febluary is be)ie-ved to be a developmental navigation-aid type satellite
NORAD Space Defense Center has reported its Olbital parameters as follows
Inclination to the Equator 7402 degrees Period 109 1 minutes Apogee 1203 km (649 n m ) Perigee 1165 ktn (629 n rn)
Four other Co~moses launched in r ecent m9nths are believed to have been developmental navigation- aid satellltes
Cosmos 158 lanched 15 May 1967 Cosmos 189 launched 30 October 1967 Cosmos 19~ launche-d 23 Nol(te-mbe~ 1967 Cosmos 00middot launched 19 January 1968
All were launched from Plesetsk by the SL-8 prop11lsion systemwhich aopsist10- of the S$~5 lRBM booster and a restartable upper stage and all have relatively circular orbits of about 74-degree inclinaUons
used by ~--------------------------------------------------------~ previously Jaunched Soviet nava~ sateUittes -- and is ~~rying a~ s band beacon
Co$mos Z03s orbit is ~bout OP n rn higher than any of thcent others provid~ng be~ter coverage and amiddotvoiding near-Elrth orbit perturbations which are encounter~d at low~r altituses lt appears t~t th~ navaid-satellite program ismiddot still in middotthe developmental stage and that the Soviets are e-xperimenting with various orbital altitudes ia an effort to optimize the systems operational characteristics (NORAP FTD) (SECREf)
C) ~II)
M
0 rJ
() ] ~lll
OlrredfOTT Cosmos 201 Deotbited l1r February
Ccu~mos 201 Soviet ptloto~ecpnnaiasance sa-telli~) ~as d-e-orbited 14 February not 1 February as inadvertently stated on p 12 wm 768 (NORAD) (SECRRf)
WIR908 l Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
bull
bull bull
-~~~~--------~---------------------------------~~oeeret ~middot Soviets Propose Joint Us -U SSR Geodetic Studies Wh1ch Would Help US SR But Not the US
Soviet astronomer DmitTiy Shchegol(w recentl y visited the US to propmiddotose joint US- USSB observationsmiddot of US geodetic middotsatellitesbull middot
Such ap exchange would sbongly benefit the USSR while giving the US essentially r~dundant data Geodetic data of the type which could be gained from the proposed joint observations would enable the Soviets to verify and improve geodetic ties already in existence The Soviets have steadily sought to reduce the uflcertainties in North Arrrerican geodetic data available to them Accurate data of this type i s required for precise mapping and missile targeting The Soviets seek US geodetic d~ta because they do not have a worldwide optical tlmiddotacking network of adequate quality dE-spite theii- claims to the contrary
Shchegolev during his discussions in the US said that the Soviets have installed at Riga a prototype of a camera which has been ordered for all Soviet middotsatellite-tracking facilities He claimed fo1 t1ie prototype an operating mechanism better than that of the US 1s Baker - Nunn camera and an equal trackshying capability but with some limitations in ppertucre For years the Soviets have been trying t-o build a camera which can track fai~ satellites 1 but they have notbeen able to match- the sensitivity of the Baker-Nann Ther-e is no indication that the Riga camera hasmiddot sol ved their problem (CIA) (SEGREf)
Restartable Upper Stage of Cosmoses 198 and 185 Probably Int ended for Military M~ssions
An upper stagemiddot which restarted io space smiddoteveral times to change the orbital palameter s of Cosmosmiddotes 198 and 185 may be intended for use ih mili shytary sp~cecraft of the future ~uch as
A coplanar interceptor satellite (one launched into an orbit in the same plane as its target satelhte) which would inspect andor prevent mission accomplishment by a foreign target satellite particularly one suspe cted of having a military mission A multiple--orbit bombatdmmiddotentmiddot system (~bBS) A econd-generation military reconnaissance a-ystem
~~ ~
~0
=elt ~lrl
0
0
Cosmos 185 was lalnched from Tyuratam on 27 fgtu~ust 1967 into a pallistic trajectory of 7200 n rn raPltg~ When ble payload reached its balhstlcapogee of 2~2 n m it was injected ~nto middota Jow1 ecc emtric E~rth orbit b middota r~-startable u
1t had an apogee of 482 n m and a perigee of 280 n m
ll ~--------------------~B~O~O~r~e~t~ bull WIR 968 1 Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
~s~eece~r~e~~~-----------------------------------------~ Cosmos 198 was launched rom f~uratam on 27 December 1967
exactly two months after Cosmos 185 into a ballistic trajectory of 10000 n m range At the apogee (145 n m ) of its ballistic trajectory it was injected into an almost-circular Earth orbit with an average altitude cf 145 n m bull On Revolution 13 the payload was reinjected into a circular orbit with an average altitude of 500 n m
Neither Cosmos 198 nor Cosmos 185 made any changes of orbital plane f
I ~----------------------------------~ L-----------~~----~
A military miuion f-or this r estar ta ble upper stage is suggested by the fact that Cosmoses 198 and 185 were launched by the SS- 9 ICBM which the Soviets have used to date dnly as an lCEM and as the l aunch vehicle for their FOBS (fr acticmal - orbit bombardment system) The SS-9 is th e Soviets largest true military booster It wou ld thus appear that this program using military resources is under complete militar y control
The Soviets are also developing restartable upper staging for nonshymilitary s pace missions blt thi~ effort has been quit e distinct poundrom the milishytary program All the spacecraft a s sociat-ed with restartable upper staging for nonmilitary space tasks have been launched by the SS-6 booster sustainer (NORA D) (SECRET)
0~-o
~
12 --~~----------------~s~e~oo~~e~t bull WIR 968 I Mar 1968
