Satellite · Communications · Soviet Union
Molniya
Operated by Soviet space program.
SatellitesRetiredLaunched 1965
Overview
A long-running series of Soviet communications satellites that gave their name to the Molniya orbit — a highly elliptical orbit whose slow apogee high over the northern latitudes provided the coverage that geostationary satellites could not reach at high latitudes.
Knowledge connections
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- Gunter's Space PageGunter Krebs — Gunter's Space Page
A specialist reference compilation of launch vehicles, stages, and spacecraft across all spacefaring nations.