Space Brief 23 May 2025
Today's briefing highlights a significant increase in the Pentagon's AI budget, upgrades at the Tiangong space station, cyber threats to satellite operations, and the Moon and Venus conjunction.
Launch Date
October 22, 1985
Launch Site
PLMSC
Launch Pad
LC43/4
Launch Vehicle
Molniya 8K78M
NORAD ID
16183
International Designator
1985-098A
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:13:06 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
71.41°
Right Ascension
103.92°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
348.50°
Period
717.08 min
Mean Motion
2.01 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
COSMOS 1698
Alternative Name
Kosmos-1698
Type
Status
Owner
PVO
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 16183U 85098A 26184.67576767 .00000353 00000-0 00000-0 0 9992
2 16183 71.4126 103.9185 5131922 348.4981 217.0319 2.00813885298073
Source: Celestrak
Length
4
Diameter
2
Span
5
Dry Mass
1150
Launch Mass
1250
Shape
Cyl + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
5.0119
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Oko 73D6 No. 6024
Purpose
Early warning
Mission
Early warning
Manufacturer
NPOL/KOMET
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Oko
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
2 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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