| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | VKO |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-041A  |
| SATCAT no. | 38733 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Strela-3 |
| Manufacturer | NPO PM[1] |
| Launch mass | 225 kilograms (496 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 July 2012, 01:35 (2012-07-28UTC01:35Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Rokot/Briz-KM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/3 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 1,483 kilometres (921 mi)[2] |
| Apogee altitude | 1,511 kilometres (939 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 82.48 degrees |
| Period | 115.91 minutes |
Kosmos 2481 (Russian: Космос 2481 meaning Cosmos 2481) is a Russian Strela-3 military communications satellite which was launched in 2012 by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. It was launched with 2 Gonets-M civilian communication satellites and a research satellite called Yubileiny-2, also known as MiR.
Kosmos 2481 was launched from Site 133/3atPlesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. It was launched by a Rockot carrier rocket with a Briz-KM upper stage at 01:35 UTC on 28 July 2012.[2][3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into low Earth orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 2012-041A. The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 38733.[2][3]
The Russian military announced that the rocket was under control of the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Centre at 01:38 UTC and the satellites were released from the rocket at 03:19 UTC.[2]
It was the first launch of a Rockot since February 2011 when a satellite was placed in the wrong orbit due to a problem with the upper stage.[4]
Kosmos 2481 is a Strela-3 satellite. They are described as store-dump communications satellites which receive information from the ground when they pass overhead, and store that information until they pass over the ground station they deliver the information to.[5]: 15 The satellites are in low Earth orbit going round the Earth every 116 minutes.[2][6] A full deployment of Strela-3 craft should consist of twelve satellites.[5]: 15 The satellite has the GRAU index 17F13, showing it is a Strela-3, not a Strela-3M (also called Rodnik) as they have a GRAU index of 17F132.[1][3][7]
Strela-3 has a civilian variant called Gonets which is used by the Russian government for communication in remote areas.[8] It can take between two minutes and six hours to deliver messages.[citation needed]
The previous satellites of this class, Kosmos 2467 and Kosmos 2468, were launched together on 8 September 2010.[7]
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). | |
