Kondor (satellite) – Wikipedia

Series of Russian satellites

Kondor

Kondor-E (Export)
Manufacturer	NPO Mashinostroyeniya
Country of origin	Russia
Applications	Optical imaging Radar imaging
Launch mass	1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb)
Regime	Low Earth
Design life	3-5 years
Status	In production
On order	4
Built	2
Launched	2
Operational	1
Maiden launch	Kosmos 2487 (Kondor No.202)[1] 27 June 2013

Kondor, GRAU index 14F133, is a series of Earth imaging or military reconnaissance satellites developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya for the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces which in 2015 became the Russian Space Forces and export customers. Satellites for the Russian military are designated “Kondor”, whilst those for export are designated Kondor-E.

Kondor satellites are equipped to carry either synthetic aperture radar or electro-optical imaging payloads, with the first satellite, and are launched using the Strela carrier rocket, developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya from retired UR-100NUTTKh missiles.^[2]

A mass simulator named Gruzomaket (aka Kondor-E-GVM, COSPAR 2003-055A ^[3]) was launched on 5 December 2003, and almost ten years later on 27 June 2013, the first spacecraft was launched. Kondor No.202 (aka Kosmos 2487, Kondor 1, COSPAR 2013-032A^[4]) was operated by the Russian military,^[1] and carried a radar imaging payload.^[5] It was the first radar imaging satellite to be operated by the Russian military after the Soviet RORSAT and Almaz-T series. The first Kondor-E (Kondor-E 1, COSPAR 2014-084A^[6]) launched 19 December 2014 for South Africa.^[7]

Civilian versions of the satellite have been designed under the name Kondor-FKA or Kondor-FKA-M.^[8][9] As of March 2023 the launches of the first two of them, Kondor-FKA №1 and №2, are planned for June 2023 and 2024 respectively.^[10][11]

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