Russia's Space Forces commander Anatoly Perminov says that full control of four military satellites has been restored after a 16h fire at a tracking station in Serpuhkov, 200km (110nm) south of Moscow, which was started by a short circuit on 10 May.
The tracking station controls a fleet of Oko early warning satellites, four of which are operational. The satellites were launched between 1997 and 1999, says the Molniya Space Consultancy, UK.
The 1,250kg (2,750lb) Oko satellites operate in highly elliptical orbits compared with the US Defense Space Programme (DSP) early warning satellites, which operate in geostationary orbit.
Both satellite types are equipped with highly sensitive infrared sensors to detect the heat of missile exhaust emission, and even combat aircraft on afterburner.
The Oko fleet originally comprised nine satellites in orbital planes 40í apart. The number of spacecraft has been reduced, however, due to the reduction in funding that has hit the Russian space programme since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Reports suggest that 70% of Russian military satellites are nearing the end of their operational lives.
Source: Flight International
