The Meteor spacecraft are weather observation satellites launched by the Soviet Union and Russia since the Cold War. The Meteor satellite series was initially developed during the 1960s. The Meteor satellites were designed to monitor atmospheric and sea-surface temperatures, humidity, radiation, sea ice conditions, snow-cover, and clouds. Between 1964 and 1969, a total of eleven Soviet Union Meteor satellites were launched.
Satellites Unlike the United States, which has separate civilian and military weather satellites, the Soviet Union used a single weather satellite type for both purposes.
Meteor Prototype Meteor Prototype launches
Meteor-1 Meteor-1 was a set of fully operational Russian meteorological satellite launched from the Plesetsk site. The satellites were placed in a near-circular, near-polar prograde orbit to provide near-global observations of the earth's weather systems, cloud cover, ice and snow fields, and reflected and emitted radiation from the dayside and nightside of the earth-atmosphere system for operational use by the Soviet Hydrometeorological Service. 31 satellites were launched between 1969 and 1981.
Meteor-1 launches
Meteor-1-25, also called "Meteor-Priroda-2", launched on 15 May 1976 by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Vostok-2M. It was a meteorological satellite that provided global observations of the earth's weather systems, cloud cover, ice and snow fields, vertical profiles of temperature and moisture, and reflected and emitted radiation from the dayside and nightside of the earth-atmosphere system for operational use by the Soviet Hydrometeorological Service. It carried an East German-designed experimental infrared Fourier spectrometers for on-orbit testing of the new instrument for weather observation. The satellite ceased operations on three years later and is now a derelict spacecraft.
Meteor-2 The Meteor-2 series, based on the Meteor-1, was the second generation of Soviet meteorological satellites. They were launched into orbit at first by the Vostok-2M launch vehicle until that was replaced by the Tsyklon-3 launch vehicle in the early 1980s. Between 1975 and 1993, 21 Meteor-2's were launched. They were flown in non-sun-synchronous polar orbits with altitudes between 850 and 950 km and inclinations of 81-82º. They weighed about 1,300 kg and had two solar arrays. The instruments consisted of three television-type (frame technique) VIS and IR scanners, a five-channel scanning radiometer and a radiometer (RMK-2) for measuring radiation flux densities in the near-Earth space. In addition to its regular payload, Meteor-2-21 carried a unique Fizeau Retro Reflector Array (RRA) for Satellite Laser Ranging applications. Several of the satellites have begun to break up and create debris. #16 broke up in 1998 after a propulsion failure. #18 broke up the following year for unknown reasons. #4 broke up in March 2004. #17 broke up in June 2005.
Meteor-2-2 Meteor 2-2 launched on 6 January 1977 by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Vostok 2-M with 1st Generation Upper Stage. It was an earth science satellite that performed cloud observation and IR temperature/humidity sounding. It ceased operations on 6 July 1978. Since then, the satellite had broken up into several pieces of debris.
Meteor-2-5 Meteor 2-5 launched on 31 October 1979 by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Vostok 2-M with 1st Generation Upper Stage. It has undergone several breakup events, the first before January 2005 and the last as recently as 2013 or 2014, resulting in 83 known pieces of which 60 were still on-orbit as of 2019.
Meteor-2-6 Meteor 2-6 launched on 9 September 1980 by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Vostok 2-M with 1st Generation Upper Stage. It was an Earth Science/Weather satellite that gathered meteorological information and data on penetrating radiation fluxes in circumterrestrial space. It has since broken apart into multiple pieces of space debris.
Meteor 2-7 Meteor 2-7 launched on May 14, 1981, by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Vostok 2-M with 1st Generation Upper Stage. It had a weight of 2,750 kg, and contained the usual suite of communication and orbit control equipment powered by large solar arrays. Its mission was cloud observation and IR temperature/humidity sounding, using a Radiation Measurement Complex (RMk-2), Infrared Sounding Radiometer, Television Camera and Infrared Instrument. It ceased operations on 14 November 1982. In March 2004, it experienced an event, or a series of events, that caused it to break into 8 pieces. The cause of this break-up is unknown.
Meteor 2-8 Meteor 2-8 launched on 25 March 1982 by the USSR out of Plesetsk on a Tsyklon-3 It had a weight of 1,500 kg, and It carried scientific and meteorological instruments, and service systems. Its mission was cloud observation and IR temperature/humidity sounding, using a Radiation Measurement Complex (RMk-2), Infrared Sounding Radiometer, Television Camera and Infrared Instrument. It ceased operations on 25 September 1983. On 29 May 1999, it experienced a break-up event that caused it to break into 53 pieces. The cause of this break-up is unknown.
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