Kosmos 1408

Kosmos-1408

Ground-based telescope image of Kosmos 1408 debris (circled objects), captured on 15 November 2021
Names	Космос-1408 Ikar No. 39L
Mission type	ELINT
COSPAR ID	1982-092A
SATCAT no.	13552
Mission duration	6 months (planned)[1] 2 years (achieved)[2]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Ikar No. 39L [3]
Spacecraft type	ELINT
Bus	Tselina-D
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye Design Office
Launch mass	1,750 kg (3,860 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	16 September 1982, 04:55 UTC
Rocket	Tsyklon-3
Launch site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 32/2
Contractor	Yuzhmash
End of mission
Declared	1984
Destroyed	15 November 2021
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[2]
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	465 km (289 mi)
Apogee altitude	490 km (300 mi)
Inclination	82.60°
Period	93.00 minutes
Kosmos Series ← Kosmos-1407 Kosmos-1409 →

Kosmos-1408 (Russian: Космос-1408) was an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) satellite operated by the Soviet Union. It was launched into low Earth orbit on 16 September 1982 at 14:55 UTC, replacing Kosmos-1378. It operated for around two years before becoming inactive and left in orbit.

The satellite was destroyed in a Russian anti-satellite weapon test on 15 November 2021, resulting in space debris in orbits between 300 and 1,100 km (190 and 680 mi) above Earth. The threat of potential collision with debris caused the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their escape capsules for the first few passes of the debris cloud, and increased the future risk of a debris collision with the ISS or other satellites.