Orlets

{{Short description|Decommissioned Russian reconnaissance satellites}}

Orlets ({{langx|ru|Орлец}}) was a series of Russian, and previously Soviet photoreconnaissance satellites derived from and intended to augment the Yantar series of spacecraft. Ten satellites were launched between 1989 and 2006; eight in the Orlets-1 configuration and two in the Orlets-2 configuration.

Orlets satellites conducted optical imaging, returning images by means of film capsules. Orlets-1 spacecraft carried eight film capsules, whilst Orlets-2 carried twenty-two. Orlets-1 were launched by Soyuz-U and Soyuz-U2 carrier rockets, with the larger Zenit-2 being used to launch Orlets-2.

Satellites

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"

!Spacecraft

!Type{{cite web|url=http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orlets-1.htm|title=Orlets-1 (Don, 17F12)|first=Gunter|last=Krebs|work=Gunter's Space Page|accessdate=5 June 2012}}

!Launch Date (UTC){{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt|title=Launch Log|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|work=Jonathan's Space Page|accessdate=5 June 2012}}

!Carrier rocket

!Launch pad

!Orbit

!Termination*{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|title=Satellite Catalog|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|work=Jonathan's Space Page|accessdate=2 May 2012}}

!class="unsortable"|Remarks

{{hs|2031}}Kosmos 2031

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|18 July 1989}}
12:10

| Soyuz-U

| {{hs|5}}1/5

| {{dts|31 August 1989}}

{{hs|2101}}Kosmos 2101

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|1 October 1990}}
11:00

| Soyuz-U2

| {{hs|5}}1/5

| {{dts|30 November 1990}}

{{hs|2163}}Kosmos 2163

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|9 October 1991}}
13:15

| Soyuz-U2

| {{hs|5}}1/5

| {{dts|6 December 1991}}

{{hs|2225}}Kosmos 2225

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|22 December 1992}}
12:00:00

| Soyuz-U

| {{hs|6}}31/6

| {{dts|18 February 1993}}

{{hs|2262}}Kosmos 2262

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|7 September 1993}}
13:25:00

| Soyuz-U2

| {{hs|6}}31/6

| {{dts|18 December 1993}}

{{hs|2290}}Kosmos 2290

| Orlets-2{{cite web|url=http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orlets-2.htm|title=Orlets-2 (Yenisey)|first=Gunter|last=Krebs|work=Gunter's Space Page|accessdate=5 June 2012}}

| {{dts|26 August 1994}}
12:00

| Zenit-2

| {{hs|1}}45/1

| {{dts|4 April 1995}}

{{hs|2343}}Kosmos 2343

| Orlets-1

| {{dts|15 May 1997}}
12:10:00

| Soyuz-U

| {{hs|6}}31/6

| {{dts|18 September 1997}}

{{hs|2372}}Kosmos 2372

| Orlets-2