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RAMOS

RAMOS []

RAMOS (Russian-American Observation Satellite) was a joint program between USA and Russia using two satellites for simultaneous stereo-optical imaging to address common concerns in the areas of environmental monitoring and defense.

Originally the program envisioned an american (AOS) and a Russian built (ROS) satllite working to gether, but during the concept phase, it was changed to two Russian built and launched satellites carrying a suite of american and Russian instruments.

The RAMOS satellites were to be based on Khrunichev's Yakhta bus. The launch weight was to be about 1200 kg each. The satellites were to be 3-axis stabilzed and featured an on-board propulsion system. Power was to be provided by two deployable solar arrays.

The spacecraft would have been controlled from a joint operations center located in Moscow. The minimum mission length was two years with the goal that the spacecraft could continue to function for at least five years to provide a large archive of stereo data under a wide range of conditions for future study.

The satellites were both to be launched on separate Rokot-KM boosters from the Plesetsk cosmodrome into the same high inclination orbits of 500 km height. The separation between the spacecraft was to be 500 km, but could be changed from 50 km to 2600 km to meet the objectives of different experiments over a range of viewing geometries.

The RAMOS program was cancelled unilaterally by the american side in 2004.

Nation: USA, Russia
Type / Application: Earth observation
Operator: BMDO,
Contractors: Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), Khrunichev (bus)
Equipment:
Configuration: Yakhta
Propulsion:
Power: 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime: 2 years (minimum); 5 years (goal)
Mass: ~ 1200 kg
Orbit: 605 km SSO
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
RAMOS 1 - cancelled Pl LC-133/3 Rokot-KM
RAMOS 2 - cancelled Pl LC-133/3 Rokot-KM

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