| Mission type | Ocean reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1982-084A |
| SATCAT no. | 13441 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | US-A |
| BOL mass | 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) |
| Power | 2 kW BES-5 fission reactor |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 August 1982, 10:06 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Tsyklon-2 |
| Launch site | Tyuratam missile and space complex (now Baikonur launchpad 90) |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Decay date | 23 January 1983 Reactor: 7 February 1983 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.00188 |
| Perigee altitude | 251 kilometres (156 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 263 kilometres (163 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.6 degrees |
| Period | 89.64 minutes |
| Epoch | 29 September 1982[2] |
Kosmos 1402 (Russian: Космос 1402) was a Soviet spy satellite that malfunctioned, resulting in the uncontrolled re-entry of its nuclear reactor and its radioactive uranium fuel. Kosmos 1402 was launched on August 30, 1982, and re-entered the atmosphere on 23 January 1983. The fission reactor entered a few days later; on 7 February 1983.
Kosmos 1402 was a RORSAT surveillance satellite that used radar for monitoring NATO vessels. The power source for the satellite was a BES-5 nuclear fission reactor, which used about 50 kilograms (110 lb) of enriched uranium as a fuel source. The satellite operated in low Earth orbit, and the reactor was designed to eject to a higher parking orbit at the end of the satellite's mission, or in the event of a mishap. This ejection mechanism was implemented in the RORSAT satellites after a nuclear accident caused by a previous malfunction of Kosmos 954, five years earlier over Canada's Northwest Territories.[3]
In response to the Kosmos 954 mishap, RORSAT satellites were modified with an ejection system for their nuclear reactors. This ejection system would allow the reactor section to be ejected in the event of a malfunction, or at the end of the satellite's service life, so the radioactive core could be placed in a disposal orbit (about 1000 km), where the fuel would remain for 500 years.[4]
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Hanton, Alex; Weidinger, Patrick (20 January 2012). "Top 10 Space Age Radiation Incidents - Listverse". Listverse. Listverse Ltd. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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