science

Oko

Oko 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 Oko rather than just read about it. In short: Oko (Old Russian: Око, lit. 'Eye') is a Russian (previously Soviet) missile defence early warning programme consisting of satellites in Molniya and geosynchronous orbits. Oko satellites are used to identify launches of ballistic missiles by detection of their engines' exhaust plume in infrared light, and complement other early warning facilities such as Voronezh, Daryal and Dnepr radars.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Oko (Old Russian: Око, lit. 'Eye') is a Russian (previously Soviet) missile defence early warning programme consisting of satellites in Molniya and geosynchronous orbits. Oko satellites are used to identify launches of ballistic missiles by detection of their engines' exhaust plume in infrared light, and complement other early warning facilities such as Voronezh, Daryal and Dnepr radars. The information provided by these sensors can be used for the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system which defends Moscow. The satellites are run by the Russian Aerospace Forces, and previously the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces and Russian Space Forces. Since November 2015, it is being replaced by the new EKS system.

History Development of the Oko system began in the early 1970s under the design bureau headed by AI Savin, which became TsNII Kometa. The spacecraft element was designed by NPO Lavochkin. The first satellite was launched in 1972 but it was not until 1978 that the overall system became operational and 1982 before it was placed on combat duty. The system had a major malfunction in 1983 when it mistakenly identified sunlight on high altitude clouds as a missile attack. Stanislav Petrov, on duty at the new control centre in Serpukhov-15, Moscow Oblast, discounted the warning due to the newness of the system and the lack of corroboration from ground-based radar. The vast majority of the satellites launched (86 out of 100 as of March 2012) have been the first generation US-K satellites which operate in molniya orbits. Seven first generation satellites were launched into geosynchronous orbits, called US-KS, starting in 1975. A decree of 3 September 1979 led to the creation of the second generation satellites US-KMO which had their first launch in 1991. In total, 101 satellites have been launched. The US-K satellites, were launched by Molniya-M launch vehicles with Blok 2BL upper stages from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The US-KS and US-KMO operate in geosynchronous orbits and were launched by Proton with DM-2 upper stages from Baikonur. The last US-KMO satellite (Kosmos 2479) was launched on 30 March 2012 and the last US-K satellite (Kosmos 2469) on 30 September 2010. They are due to be replaced by a new system called EKS.

Debris The first generation Molniya-type orbit Oko satellites launched between 1976 and 1983 were prone to disintegration, resulting in extensive space debris. The reason they broke up was because they each carried an on-board explosive charge that would be used to destroy the satellite in the case of a malfunction. Unfortunately, control of the explosive charge was itself unreliable and it would often explode, rendering the satellite inoperative, while it was still under control. The design was eventually changed, and the explosive charge in Kosmos 1481 was the last to explode early.

Facilities The system has two dedicated control centres. The western centre is at Serpukhov-15 (Russian: Серпухов-15) near Kurilovo outside Moscow (55°04′06″N 37°02′29″E) and the eastern centre is at Pivan-1 (Russian: Пивань-1) (50°20′57″N 137°11′22″E) in the Russian Far East. The centre at Serpukhov-15 burned down in 2001 which caused the loss of contact with currently orbiting satellites.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oko

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oko 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 Oko 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 Oko 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 Oko

In research: Oko 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 Oko 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: Oko is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Early warning satellites, Early warning systems, Military equipment introduced in the 1970s, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oko 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 Oko in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oko 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 Oko out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oko in simple terms?

Why does Oko 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 Oko?

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 Oko.

Oko