In orbitDebris

COSMOS 1249 FUEL CORE

NORAD: 12551
COSPAR: 1981-021C

OrbitalWiki publishes live orbits for active satellites only. This object is in the full catalogue: who launched it, what it is and its last published orbit are below, but there are no current orbital elements for it here.

Spacecraft

Built by: TsNII Kometa
Owner: Soviet Navy
Platform (bus): Buk reactor core
Mass at launch: 53 kg
Dry mass: 53 kg
Length: 0.5 m
Diameter: 0.2 m
Span with arrays and booms: 0.5 m
Shape: Cyl

From GCAT by Jonathan McDowell (CC BY 4.0), record S12551, checked 2026-11-06. About this source

Launch

Launch date: 1981-03-05
Rocket: Tsiklon-2
Flight: Kosmos-1249
Mission name: US-A reactor
Launch site: NIIP-5, LC90
Launched by: Strategic Rocket Forces
Rocket performance: Success
Launch designator: 1981-021

From the GCAT launch log, launch 1981-021, checked 2026-11-06. About this source

Catalogue record

Object type: Debris
Owner code: CIS
Launch date: 1981-03-05
Period: 103.6 min
Inclination: 64.97°
Apogee: 956 km
Perigee: 898 km
Radar cross-section: 0.1546 m²

From CelesTrak SATCAT, checked 2026-11-05. About this source

Where it came from

Parent object: COSMOS 1249 (NORAD 12319)

The object this one was attached to at launch, or broke off from, as GCAT records it.

Everything from this launch

Debris20 in total, 18 still in orbit
Payload1 in total, 1 still in orbit