Kosmos 2251

Kosmos 2251
	A Strela-2M communication satellite, similar to Kosmos 2251.
Mission type	Military communication
Operator	VKS
COSPAR ID	1993-036A
SATCAT no.	22675
Mission duration	5 years (nominal mission)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Strela-2M
Bus	KAUR-1
Manufacturer	Reshetnev
Launch mass	900 kg
Start of mission
Launch date	16 June 1993, 04:17 UTC
Rocket	Kosmos-3M
Launch site	Plesetsk, Site 132/1
End of mission
Last contact	1995
Decay date	10 February 2009; (destroyed in space)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	783 km
Apogee altitude	821 km
Inclination	74.0°
Period	101.0 minutes

Kosmos-2251 (Russian: Космос-2251 meaning Cosmos 2251) was a Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite. It was launched into Low Earth orbit from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 04:17 UTC on 16 June 1993, by a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket.^[3]^[4] The Strela satellites had a lifespan of 5 years, and the Russian government reported that Kosmos-2251 ceased functioning in 1995.^[5] Russia was later criticised by The Space Review for leaving a defunct satellite in a congested orbit, rather than deorbiting it. In response, Russia noted that they were (and are)^[6] not required to do so under international law.^[7]^[8] In any case, the KAUR-1 satellites had no propulsion system, which is usually required for deorbiting.^[9]^[10]

^ Brian Weeden (10 November 2010). "2009 Iridium-Cosmos Collision Fact Sheet" (PDF). Secure World Foundation.
^ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1993-036A - 27 February 2020
^ Wade, Mark. "Strela-2M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos-11k65". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
^ "First Satellite Collision Called Threat in Space". The Moscow Times. 13 February 2009.
^ Chelsea Muñoz-Patchen (2018). "Regulating the Space Commons: Treating SpaceDebris as Abandoned Property in Violation of the Outer Space Treaty". Chicago Journal of International Law. 19: 233.
^ Brian Weeden (23 February 2009). "Billiards in Space". The Space Review.
^ Michael Listner (13 February 2012). "Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 three years later: where are we now?". The Space Review.
^ Игорь Королев. Авария на $50 млн // Ведомости, № 26 (2296), 13 февраля 2009
^ Brian Harvey; Olga Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1441981509.

[swf-1] Brian Weeden (10 November 2010). "2009 Iridium-Cosmos Collision Fact Sheet" (PDF). Secure World Foundation.

[2] ttps://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1993-036A - 27 February 2020

[3] Wade, Mark. "Strela-2M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2019.

[4] Wade, Mark. "Kosmos-11k65". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2009.

[5] "First Satellite Collision Called Threat in Space". The Moscow Times. 13 February 2009.

[6] Chelsea Muñoz-Patchen (2018). "Regulating the Space Commons: Treating SpaceDebris as Abandoned Property in Violation of the Outer Space Treaty". Chicago Journal of International Law. 19: 233.

[7] Brian Weeden (23 February 2009). "Billiards in Space". The Space Review.

[8] Michael Listner (13 February 2012). "Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 three years later: where are we now?". The Space Review.

[9] Игорь Королев. Авария на $50 млн // Ведомости, № 26 (2296), 13 февраля 2009

[10] Brian Harvey; Olga Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1441981509.

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