Cosmos Satellites at 82.3°

Abstract

Analysis of the orbital data and signal transmissions of satel1ites launched by the Soviet Union into low earth orbit with an inclination of 82.3° reveals four groups of mission characteristics. These subsets indicate differences in the photocoverage that wil1 be obtained. The prevalent use of photography is a notable feature in the operation of Soviet observation satel1ites and is understood to reflect the cost effectiveness perceived for photographic systems.