Space Brief 20 Dec 2025
Today's Space Brief focuses on multi-billion dollar contracts for missile-tracking satellites, developments in optical nuclear clock research, and innovative drone projects for military collaboration.
METEOR 3-2 (19336)
COSPAR: 1988-064A | Alt Name: Meteor-3
Image
Additional Sources
Launch Details
Launch Date
July 26, 1988
Launch Site
PLMSC
Launch Pad
LC32/2
Launch Vehicle
Tsiklon-3
Orbital Elements
NORAD ID
19336
International Designator
1988-064A
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:34:35 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
82.55°
Right Ascension
319.01°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
162.42°
Period
109.32 min
Mean Motion
13.17 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Polar Plot
3D Visualization
Basic Satellite Info
Name
METEOR 3-2
Alternative Name
Meteor-3
Type
Payload
Status
Unknown
Owner
GMS
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Latest TLEs
1 19336U 88064A 26184.81568295 -.00000094 00000-0 -27636-3 0 9995
2 19336 82.5453 319.0119 0017573 162.4220 3.7340 13.17283369823840
Source: Celestrak
Summary
METEOR 3-2 (also known as Meteor-3) is a weather satellite launched by the Soviet Union on July 26, 1988, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a Tsiklon-3 launch vehicle. The spacecraft measures 6.5 meters in length with a diameter of 2.4 meters and spans 12.7 meters when its solar arrays are deployed. It has a dry mass of 2,150 kilograms and was designed for a two-year operational lifetime. Equipped with deployable solar arrays and batteries for power generation, METEOR 3-2 served meteorological purposes as part of the Meteorology mission. The satellite was manufactured by VNIEM (All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Electromechanics) and operated under the ownership of GMS (Governmental Meteorological Service).
Physical Characteristics
Length
6.5
Diameter
2.4
Span
12.7
Dry Mass
2150
Launch Mass
2150
Shape
Cyl + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
6.1205
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Technical Details
Payload
Meteor-3 No. 3
Purpose
Meteorology
Mission
Meteorology
Manufacturer
VNIEM
Life Expectancy
2 years
Bus
Meteor-3
Configuration
SP-2 bus
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Map
Next Pass
Azimuth Elevation Time (Local)
Start Azimuth
Max Elevation
Stop Azimuth
Time Until
Pass Duration
Satellite Articles
View All Posts »Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
X Report 8 Feb 2025
SpaceX makes strides on Starship launch pad, upcoming Starlink infusions from California and Florida, and regulatory challenges loom with FCC and C-band spectrum.
Space Brief 3 Jan 2025
Today's brief covers the recent surge in SpaceX launches, Eutelsat's resolution of a OneWeb software issue, and various strategic previews for U.S. military branches in 2025.
MDA Space Buys Blue Canyon for $620M, Space Brief 20 Jun 2026
MDA Space acquires Blue Canyon Technologies for $620 million, and NASA's 2028 Aeolus Mars orbiter goes to a California startup instead of SpaceX.
Starlink 17-40 Adds 24 Sats from Vandenberg | KeepTrack X Report
SpaceX's Starlink 17-40 mission launches 24 satellites from Vandenberg SFB at 7:36 a.m. PDT, expanding the 10,705-satellite constellation.
Space Brief 20 Sep 2025
Today's highlights include SpaceX's Starlink launch, NASA's revived lunar mission, and a spotlight on space-defense activities.
Starship Flight 12 Debuts Ship V3 as SDA Reorganizes York Space | KeepTrack Space Brief
SpaceX's Starship Flight 12 debuts Ship 39 and Booster 19 on May 19, while York Space faces investor confusion as Space Force reorganizes the Space Development Agency.
STS-51B | Three-Tenths of a Second from Disaster
Forty years ago today, Challenger lifted off LC-39A on a science mission that nobody outside Morton-Thiokol would call dangerous. Years later, after the orbiter and seven other astronauts were gone, investigators looked at the recovered boosters from STS-51B and realized the crew had come within a fraction of a second of dying first. This is the story of the launch that should have been a warning.