COSMOS 2044 (also known as Kosmos-2044) is a Life Science satellite launched on September 15, 1989, from the PLMSC site using Soyuz-U launch vehicle at LC41/1. Manufactured by TSSKB and operated under IMBP/TSSKB ownership, this Bion spacecraft uses the Zenit Bus configuration and has dimensions of 6.5 meters in length, a diameter of 2.4 meters, and spans 6.5 meters with its dry mass being 2040 kg. The satellite carries the Bion No. 9 payload and is powered by batteries, featuring a sphere plus DCone shape design with an RCS of 5.2. Its mission focused on Life Science studies and it had a lifetime ranging from 5 to 22 days post-launch.