COSMOS 1979 (also known as Kosmos-1979) is an ocean surveillance satellite launched by the Soviet Union on November 18, 1988, from Launch Site TYSMC at LC90 using a Tsiklon-2 launch vehicle. The spacecraft has dimensions of 10 meters in length and 1.3 meters in diameter with a span of 17 meters. It was equipped with US-PM No. 8L payload for passive ocean surveillance, and its power system consisted of two deployable fixed solar arrays along with batteries. At launch, the satellite had a mass of 3,300 kg, while its dry mass is noted at 3,000 kg. The satellite's shape is described as cylindrical with two panels (Cyl + 2 Pan), and it has a radar cross-section (RCS) of 45.46 square meters. Manufacturer ARSL/KOMET built the spacecraft for VMF, marking COSMOS 1979 as an essential part of ocean surveillance operations.