Cosmos 2499 is now a hamsat?

Well it started life as a probable anti-satellite killer sat. Now it appears that Cosmos 2499 has morphed into a hamsat? First, Paul Marsh over at UHF-Satcom has discovered the S-band downlink for this satellite. Here is what Paul posted to the UHF-Satcom newsgroup:

"Confirmed S-Band downlink from Cosmos 2499, cat #39765 on 2280.000MHz. Transmitter activated with the satellite is at 5 degrees at Moscow. Quite a good signal using 1M antenna."

http://pjm.uhf-satcom.com/twtr/cosmos2499_301114.jpg
http://pjm.uhf-satcom.com/twtr/cosmos2499_011214.jpg
http://pjm.uhf-satcom.com/twtr/cosmos2499_011214a.jpg

Eight minutes ago Paul tweeted:

"Cosmos 2499 S-Band TX commanded on from Moscow, sending 'idle' frames from the look of the BPSK; http://pjm.uhf-satcom.com/twtr/cosmos2499_021214.jpg … - strong signals!"

 

According to R4UAB Cosmos 2499 may have morphed into a Hamsat (see http://r4uab.ru/?p=8509 for his full story). Portion of his post at http://r4uab.ru/?p=8509 translated to English text:

 

"Amateur astronomers and observers satellites in Russia and in the West follow the unusual maneuver object 2014-28E. Now and amateurs joined observations:-)
He may have different functions, some of them civilians, some - the military. In confirmation to the first statement I was today adopted a scientific telemetry signal with COSMOS 2499 on frequencies 435.465 MHz and 435.565 MHz. TABLETSAT-AURORA. The first time a strange signal that I could not identify, I noticed in the summer during the reception of satellite TABLETSAT-AURORA. In the picture once again screenshot summer, found in the repository at: On it you can see 2 data link with COSMOS 2499 (as I now know) and the lighthouse TABLETSAT-AURORA.  A lot of time spent on the search for the source.  First time I have access to the signal height of the object identified approximately 1500 km, calculate the approximate TLE based on my observations and this led me to the COSMOS 2499."

 

 

 

Robert Christy at Zarya.info is reporting on his twitter feed the following:

 

"Cosmos 2499 - R4UAB reports: as of today it is identifying itself as radio amateur sat RS-47, maybe means the military mission is completed?"

 

Amsat UK has picked up the story on their blog at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/11/30/cosmos-2499-callsign-rs-47/

 

Track COSMOS-2499 / RS-47 at http://www.n2yo.com/?s=39765

 

Listen for RS-47 online with the SUWS WebSDR located near London
http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/

 

RS-47 Telemetry data http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=52752

 

Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB describes receiving the 435.465 MHz and 435.565 MHz signals at http://tinyurl.com/R4UAB-COSMOS-2499

You can read the complete story on Cosmos 2499/RS-47 on the RussianSpaceWeb.com at http://www.russianspaceweb.com/Cosmos-2499.html#1125

 

So there we have it the hunter killer anti-satellite satellite is now RS-47 a hamsat. Only in Putin's Russia. ;-)

 

 

Kosmos-2499: Is it a spy or an assassin... or both?

Blog Editor's Note: Given the ramp up of Russian military operations in Europe and Asia, Radio Sputnik replacing Voice of Russia now on the air with Cold War style propaganda, and now Cold War style space activities, I believe the Russian have reset our relations. If they start operating independently again in space, well those of us who lived through the last Cold War may live to see another one regardless what American politicians have to say on the situation.

Object 2014-28E – Space junk or Russian satellite killer?
By Sam Jones, Defense and Security Editor

It is a tale that could have come from the cold war. A mysterious object launched by the Russian military is being tracked by western space agencies, stoking fears over the revival of a defunct Kremlin project to destroy satellites.

For the past few weeks, amateur astronomers and satellite-trackers in Russia and in the west have followed the unusual manoeuvers of Object 2014-28E (now IDed as Cosmos 2499-LVH), watching it guide itself towards other Russian space objects. The pattern appeared to culminate last weekend in a rendezvous with the remains of the rocket stage that launched it.

The object had originally been classed as space debris, propelled into orbit as part of a Russian rocket launch in May to add three Rodnik communications satellites to an existing military constellation. The U.S. military is now tracking it under the NORAD catalog number 39765.

Go to the link below to read the rest of this article http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cdd0bdb6-6c27-11e4-990f-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz3JMzknud9



1986 DIA illustration of the Istrebitel Sputnik (IS) (lit. "fighter satellite").
system attacking a target. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Here is the current orbital details of this space object:
Cosmos 2499, NORAD ID: 39765, Int'l Code: 2014-028E
Perigee: 1,158.5 km, Apogee: 1,510.7 km, Inclination: 82.4 °
Period: 112.2 minutes, Semi major axis: 7705 km
Launch date: May 23, 2014

And finally here are some additional details on Cosmos 2499 courtesy of the Zarya Space website at http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2014

Cosmos 2499  2014-028E NORAD Catalog #39765 
A small satellite with orbit changing capability. Possibly, but speculatively, an inspector satellite with its own Briz-KM rocket body (2014-028D/39764) as a target. Detected by US tracking sensors and originally catalogued as debris, it was not included in early announcements of the launch. Early 2014 July - started a series of manoeuvers to reduce the separation in orbit planes between itself and the Briz-KM.
2014 November 8/9 it matched planes with the rocket and manoeuvered alongside it.

2014 May 23, 20:26 7872 0.0018 1480 1509 115.86 82.45 317  
2014 May 29, 21:19 7873 0.0018 1481 1508 115.86 82.45 304  
2014 Jul 2, 22:32 7872 0.0017 1480 1508 115.85 82.45 228  
2014 Jul 3, 19:47 7871 0.0020 1477 1508 115.82 82.45 218  
2014 Jul 9, 09:02 7868 0.0024 1472 1509 115.77 82.46 200  
2014 Jul 11, 17:00 7866 0.0021 1471 1504 115.71 82.45 189  
2014 Jul 17, 15:46 7855 0.0022 1460 1494 115.47 82.46 166  
2014 Aug 8, 16:11 7684 0.0241 1121 1491 111.72 82.46 99  
2014 Aug 12, 10:19 7621 0.0323 997 1489 110.36 82.46 94  
2014 Aug 20, 09:32 7588 0.0337 954 1465 109.63 82.42 78  
2014 Aug 20, 14:25 7585 0.0371 925 1488 109.57 82.45 73  
2014 Oct 28, 23:22 7652 0.0287 1055 1494 111.03 82.46 254  
2014 Nov 9, 00:02 7681 0.0254 1108 1499 111.67 82.45 231  
2014 Nov 9, 13:19 7705 0.0228 1152 1503 112.19 82.46 230