science

Intersputnik

Intersputnik is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intersputnik rather than just read about it. In short: The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, commonly known as Intersputnik, is an international satellite communications services organization founded on 15 November 1971, in Moscow by the Soviet Union along with a group of seven formerly socialist states (Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Mongolia) and Cuba. The objective was and continues to be the developme…

Key takeaways

Intersputnik belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intersputnik to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intersputnik from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, commonly known as Intersputnik, is an international satellite communications services organization founded on 15 November 1971, in Moscow by the Soviet Union along with a group of seven formerly socialist states (Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Mongolia) and Cuba. The objective was and continues to be the development and common use of communications satellites. It was created as the Eastern Bloc's response to the Western Intelsat organization. As of 2026, the organization has 25 member states. In turn with political realignments, a number of countries have left (Germany and Poland) or are in the process of leaving (Czechia, Bulgaria and Ukraine). Intersputnik nowadays is a commercially aligned organization. It operates 12 satellites in orbit and 41 transponders. In June 1997 Intersputnik created the Lockheed Martin Intersputnik (LMI) joint venture together with Lockheed Martin, which built and operated the satellites of the same name. In September 2006, Lockheed Martin Intersputnik was acquired by Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS).

History Initially, the Intersputnik system was created on the basis of the Soviet Orbit-2 satellite broadcasting network and was designed to serve the countries participating in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon). The main system and technical developments were carried out by NIIR, radio receiving equipment was produced at the Moscow Radio Engineering Plant, antenna-feeder devices at the Podolsk Electromechanical Plant, radio transmitting and channel-forming equipment was manufactured by the Krasnoyarsk TV Plant. In the initial version, Intersputnik used highly elliptical satellites of the Molniya-3 type, and in 1978 it began using geostationary satellites of the Gorizont type. Receiving complexes "Orbita-2" with transmitters "Gradient-K" and channel-forming equipment RS-1, RS-2 operated at the earth stations. In the process of modernization, the transmitters were replaced by more modern Helikon type with a power of 3 kW and new channel-forming equipment “Gradient-N” began to be used. Subsequently, the Research Institute for Telecommunication (TKI) in Budapest took part in the development of the equipment for Intersputnik, and factories in Hungary and Czechoslovakia were connected to production.

Member states

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs maintains a list of space treaty member countries, including the Intersputnik treaty.

Currently withdrawing Bulgaria (announced withdrawal on 18 December 2025) Czech Republic (announced withdrawal in February 2025) Ukraine

Former Germany (until 24 July 2023), in succession of East Germany Poland (until 12 August 2025)

See also Ground stations Communications satellite Submarine communications cable European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

References

External links Official website Agreement on the legal capacity, privileges and immunities, Berlin, 20 September 1976 satnews.com Archived 2007-07-11 at the Wayback Machine english.pravda.ru un.org dlr.de

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intersputnik

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intersputnik claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intersputnik before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intersputnik ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intersputnik

In research: Intersputnik appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intersputnik in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intersputnik is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1971 establishments in the Soviet Union, Aerospace companies of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria–Soviet Union relations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intersputnik outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intersputnik in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intersputnik means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intersputnik out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intersputnik in simple terms?

Why does Intersputnik matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intersputnik?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intersputnik.