Kosmos 2446

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title: "Kosmos 2446" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kosmos-satellites", "spacecraft-launched-in-2008", "oko", "spacecraft-launched-by-molniya-m-rockets"] description: "Russian military early warning satellite" topic_path: "general/kosmos-satellites" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_2446" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Russian military early warning satellite ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox spaceflight"]

Field	Value
name	Kosmos 2446
mission_type	Early warning
COSPAR_ID	2008-062A
SATCAT	33447
mission_duration	4 years
spacecraft_type	US-K
launch_mass	1900 kg
launch_date	UTC
launch_rocket	Molniya-M/2BL
launch_site	Plesetsk Cosmodrome
decay_date	May 6th, 2017
orbit_reference	Geocentric
orbit_regime	Molniya
orbit_periapsis	522 km
orbit_apoapsis	39190 km
orbit_inclination	62.8 degrees
orbit_period	704.78 minutes
apsis	gee
::

| name = Kosmos 2446 | mission_type = Early warning | operator = | COSPAR_ID = 2008-062A | SATCAT = 33447 | mission_duration = 4 years | spacecraft_type = US-K | manufacturer = | launch_mass = 1900 kg | launch_date = UTC | launch_rocket = Molniya-M/2BL | launch_site = Plesetsk Cosmodrome | entered_service = | disposal_type = | deactivated = | decay_date = May 6th, 2017 | orbit_epoch = | orbit_reference = Geocentric | orbit_regime = Molniya | orbit_periapsis = 522 km | orbit_apoapsis = 39190 km | orbit_inclination = 62.8 degrees | orbit_period = 704.78 minutes | orbit_slot = | apsis = gee Kosmos 2446 ( meaning Cosmos 2446) is a Russian US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 2008 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite is designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.

Kosmos 2446 was launched from Site 16/2 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 05:03 UTC on 2 December 2008. The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 2008-062A. The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 33447. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Kosmos_2446_ground_track.jpg" caption="[[Ground track]] of Kosmos 2446"] ::

References

|first=Pavel |last=Podvig |year=2002 |title=History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System |journal=Science and Global Security |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=21–60 |issn=0892-9882 |doi=10.1080/08929880212328 |bibcode=2002S&GS...10...21P |url=http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/20734/Podvig-S&GS.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315024323/http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/20734/Podvig-S%26GS.pdf |archive-date=15 March 2012 |citeseerx=10.1.1.692.6127 |s2cid=122901563

References

1. (2012-04-20). "Cosmos 2446". National Space Science Data Centre.
2. (2 December 2008). "Launch of Cosmos-2446, a new first-generation early-warning satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.
3. (2012-03-08). "US-K (73D6)". Gunter's Space Page.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::