Kosmos 1285
# Kosmos 1285

Kosmos 1285 (Russian: Космос 1285 meaning Cosmos 1285) was a Soviet US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1981 as part of the Soviet military's Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.

Kosmos 1285 was launched from Site 16/2 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian SSR. A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 00:13 UTC on 4 August 1981. The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1981-071A. The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 12627.

Kosmos 1285 was a US-K satellite like Kosmos 862 that self-destructed in orbit, NASA believe deliberately. 1285 was placed in a temporary transfer orbit on the day of launch by its launch vehicle but never maneuvered to an operational orbit. This suggests an early fatal spacecraft malfunction. All of its trackable debris is still in orbit.

