About: Polyus (spacecraft)   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : dbkwik:resource/G7YR4yAvfoe7I_ap4nmguQ==, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

The Polyus spacecraft (, pole), also known as Polus, Skif-DM, GRAU index 17F19DM, was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy SDI satellites with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser. It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could fire test targets to demonstrate the fire control system. The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system, but failed to reach orbit.

AttributesValues
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Polyus (spacecraft)
rdfs:comment
  • The Polyus spacecraft (, pole), also known as Polus, Skif-DM, GRAU index 17F19DM, was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy SDI satellites with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser. It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could fire test targets to demonstrate the fire control system. The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system, but failed to reach orbit.
sameAs
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:military/pr...iPageUsesTemplate
Dimensions
  • 245.99999999999997
Mission Duration
  • Launch failure
Name
  • Polyus
Image caption
  • Cutaway drawing of the Polyus spacecraft
launch site
Mission Type
  • Technology
apsis
  • gee
orbit regime
  • Low Earth
launch rocket
Launch date
  • 1987-05-15(xsd:date)
orbit epoch
  • Planned
orbit reference
  • Geocentric
abstract
  • The Polyus spacecraft (, pole), also known as Polus, Skif-DM, GRAU index 17F19DM, was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy SDI satellites with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser. It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could fire test targets to demonstrate the fire control system. The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system, but failed to reach orbit. According to Yuri Kornilov, Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau, shortly before Polyus' launch, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome and expressly forbade the on-orbit testing of its capabilities. Kornilov claims that Gorbachev was worried that it would be possible for Western governments to view this activity as an attempt to create a weapon in space and that such an attempt would contradict the country's previous statements on the USSR’s peaceful intent. For technical reasons, the payload was launched upside down. It was designed to separate from the Energia, rotate 180 degrees in yaw, then 90 degrees in roll and then fire its engine to complete its boost to orbit. The Energia functioned perfectly. However, after disconnecting from Energia, the Polyus spun a full 360 degrees instead of the planned 180 degrees. When the rocket fired, it slowed and burned up in the atmosphere over the south Pacific ocean. This failure was attributed to a faulty inertial guidance system that had not been rigorously tested due to the rushed production schedule. Parts of the Polyus project's hardware were re-used in Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr and Priroda Mir modules, as well as in ISS, Zarya and FGB.
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