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Satellite Missions Catalogue

Okean Program

Jun 8, 2012

EO

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Atmosphere

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Ocean

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Liquid water and precipitation rate

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Quick facts

Overview

Mission typeEO
AgencyROSKOSMOS, ROSHYDROMET
Mission statusMission complete
Launch date11 Oct 1994
End of life date31 Jan 2002
Measurement domainAtmosphere, Ocean, Land, Snow & Ice
Measurement categoryLiquid water and precipitation rate, Cloud particle properties and profile, Multi-purpose imagery (ocean), Radiation budget, Multi-purpose imagery (land), Albedo and reflectance, Surface temperature (ocean), Atmospheric Humidity Fields, Ocean topography/currents, Sea ice cover, edge and thickness, Soil moisture, Snow cover, edge and depth, Ocean surface winds, Ocean wave height and spectrum, Ice sheet topography
Measurement detailedOcean imagery and water leaving spectral radiance, Precipitation intensity at the surface (liquid or solid), Cloud liquid water (column/profile), Land surface imagery, Earth surface albedo, Short-wave Earth surface bi-directional reflectance, Atmospheric specific humidity (column/profile), Sea surface temperature, Wind vector over sea surface (horizontal), Sea-ice cover, Snow cover, Soil moisture at the surface, Sea-ice thickness, Significant wave height, Ocean dynamic topography, Sea-ice sheet topography
InstrumentsMSU-SK, RLSBO, R-225, KONDOR-2, R-600, DELTA-2D, MSU-M, MSU-V, MSU-S, RM-08
Instrument typeImaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR), Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave), Data collection, Imaging microwave radars
CEOS EO HandbookSee Okean Program summary

Okean Program

Okean (Ocean) is a USSR/Ukrainian (prior to/after 1992) Earth observation satellite program for the operational monitoring of ocean surfaces (sea surface temperatures, wind speed, sea color, status of ice coverage, cloud coverage and precipitation). In particular, the Okean-O1 spacecraft with their polar orbits provide valuable complementary data on the ice status in the Arctic and Antarctic regions (support of navigation information for ships in the northern latitudes), which are not visible from geostationary meteorological satellites.

Launches of the series were conducted from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome using the Tsyklon-3 launch vehicle.

Orbit: polar near-circular orbit, altitude range of 500-660 km, inclination 82.5º, period = 98 minutes.

Background: The Okean program was initiated in 1976 by the former USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). In particular, the Yuzhnoye State Design Office of the Ukraine was instrumental in this effort. Launches started in 1979 within the experimental Okean (Cosmos) series. Mission objective: a major interest was in the operation of active and passive microwave sensors. Both MW (microwave) sensor types provide an all-weather observation capability.

 

Early Experimental Cosmos Program

The predecessor series of the Okean series was the experimental Cosmos series.

• Cosmos 1076 (also referred to Okean-E); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon vehicle on Feb. 12, 1979; orbit: altitude = 514 km x 530 km; inclination = 82.6º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. A test mission of the Okean satellite without the radar. Objective: Development of methods for obtaining operational information on the Pacific Ocean. Operations were terminated on March 13, 1980. The S/C reentered the atmosphere on Aug. 10, 2001.

• Cosmos 1151 (Okean-E); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon vehicle on Jan. 23, 1980; orbit: altitude = 566 km x 589 km; inclination = 82.6º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. The second test mission of the Okean satellite without the radar. Operations were completed on Oct. 13, 1981.

• Cosmos 1500 (also referred to as Okean-OE the first prototype S/C); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon vehicle on Sept. 28, 1983; orbit: 649 x 679 km, inclination = 82.6º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. The S/C was operational until July 16, 1986. 1)

• Cosmos 1602 (also referred to as Okean-OE); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon vehicle on Sept. 28, 1984; orbit: 629 x 664 km, inclination = 82.5º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. The S/C was operational until Dec. 5,1986.

• Cosmos 1766 (also referred to as Okean-O1-N1); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon vehicle on July 29, 1986; orbit: 601 km x 631 km, inclination = 82.5º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. The S/C was operational until Oct. 24, 1988.

• COSMOS 1869 (also referred to as Okean-O1-N2); launch from Plesetsk on a Tsyklon launcher on July 16, 1987; orbit: 602 km x 632 km, inclination = 82.5º; S/C mass = 1950 kg. The S/C was operational until May 30, 1989. 2) 3)


 

Sensor Complement

The following information is provided for the Cosmos satellites 1076 and 1151.

The simultaneous spectral measurements in several wavelengths provide a means of evaluating the hydro-physical parameters of the sea surface, the meteorological parameters of the atmosphere as well as of the sea surface. The parameters are: sea surface temperature, wind speed at the sea surface boundary, liquid vapor content in clouds, integrated water vapor, etc. 4)

Device Νu (Passive MW Radiometer)

Device Nu is a a nadir-pointing instrument developed by NPO Vega, measuring the emission radiation of the atmosphere/ocean system at the following (micro) wavelengths/frequencies: 8 mm (37.5 GHz), 13.5 mm (22.22 GHz), 32 mm (9.37 GHz), and 85 mm (3.53 GHz).

Device Pi (Non-scanning Polarimeter)

Device Pi is a measuring radiation at wavelength 32 mm (with two orthogonal polarizations at a look angle of 53º relative to nadir, and with one polarization at nadir). Along-track footprints of 12 m distance and 6 m normal to the orbital track are generated.

Device 174 K

Device 174 K is an infrared spectrometer.

MSU-M

MSU-M is a four-band (VIS) multispectral scanner for monitoring ocean color. Swath width = 1900 km, resolution = 1.8 km.

The Cosmos satellite series 1500 - 1869 was equipped with a subset of instruments of the first series, i.e. one or two passive MW radiometers per satellite measuring the emission radiation of the atmosphere/ocean system. - Cosmos 1500 was the first USSR satellite equipped with a side-looking, all-weather radar, namely RLSBO (or SLAR), a real-aperture radar instrument.

S/C Name

Launch Date

Remarks

Instrument complement

Experimental Series

Okean-E
(Cosmos-1076)

Feb. 12, 1979; Plesetsk

operational until March 13, 1980

 

Okean-E
(Cosmos-1151)

Jan. 23, 1980

operational until Oct. 13, 1981

 

Okean-OE-N1 (Cosmos-1500)

Oct. 28, 1983

operational until June 12, 1986

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, 3-channel MWR (8, 13.5 and 85 mm), RTVK

Okean-OE-N2 (Cosmos-1602)

Oct. 28, 1984

operational until Nov. 10, 1985

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, 3-channel MWR (8, 13.5 and 85 mm), RTVK

Pre-operational Series

Okean-O1-N1 (Cosmos 1766)

July 29, 1986

operational until 1988

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N2 (Cosmos 1869)

July 16,, 1987

operational until 1989

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor (RLSBO did not work)

Okean-O1-N3

July 5, 1988

operational until 1990

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Trasser, Kondor

Okean-O1-N4

June 9, 1989

launch failure

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N5

Feb. 28, 1990

operational until 1991

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N6

June 4, 1991

operational until 1993

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N7

Oct. 11, 1994

operational until 1, 1996

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N8
(renamed to Sich-1 by NKAU)

Aug. 31, 1995

operational until 1996, Russian/Ukrainian joint venture

RLSBO (32 mm), RM-0.8, MWP (32 mm), RTVK, MSU-SK, Kondor

Okean-O1-N9, Sich-1M (modified)

Dec. 24, 2004, Plesetsk

Sich-1M did not achieve its nominal orbit

RLSBO, RM-08, MSU-M, MSU-EU1 & -EU2, MTVZA-OK, Variant

Operational Series

Okean-O-1,
(also referred to as Sich-2)

July 17, 1999, Baikonur

Okean-O-1 stopped operations in the fall of 2000 due to S/C attitude control problems

RLSBO (2 units), MSU-M, MSU-SK, MSU-V, Delta-2D, R-225, R-600, Trasser-O

Table 1: Overview of Okean series satellites

Note: Sich is the Ukrainian name for `Owl'. Sich-1 has the same orbit and sensor complement as the Okean-O1 spacecraft series. NKAU (National Space Agency of Ukraine) was founded in 1992.


References

1) A. I. Kalmykov, et al, “Determination of Oceanic Surface Structure with `Cosmos-1500' Satellite Side Looking Radar,” Intercosmos Council, 1984

2) http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/ukraine/earth/

3) http://www.astronautix.com/project/okean.htm

4) Information provided by B. Kutuza of IRE-RAS (Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics-Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow


The information compiled and edited in this article was provided by Herbert J. Kramer from his documentation of: ”Observation of the Earth and Its Environment: Survey of Missions and Sensors” (Springer Verlag) as well as many other sources after the publication of the 4th edition in 2002. - Comments and corrections to this article are always welcome for further updates (eoportal@symbios.space).