Prognoz-M

Interbol was originally an Intercosmos project with a launch planned for the late 1980's. It consisted of four spacecraft taking precise measurements of different portions of the Earth's magnetic fields. Interbol consisted of two pairs of spacecraft: one pair with orbits of 500 km by 200,000 km (tail probes) and one pair with orbits of 500 km by 20,000 km (auroral probes). Financial and other problems following the break-up of the Soviet Union and the Intercosmos organization delayed the launches until 1995-1996.

Each pair of spacecraft consisted of a Russian Prognoz-M (1,250 kg tail probes / 1,400 kg auroral probe) and a Czech Magion (50 kg ) satellite. The Prognoz-M spacecraft had a payload capacity of 250-350 kg, and was spin-stabilized with a diameter of 2.3 m, height of 5.0 m, and span with deployed antennas of 12.5 m x 22 m x 22 m. Four solar panels produced up to 250 W for the scientific payload from a total output of 900 W. Both probes carried a variety of plasma and charged particle detectors. Swedish, French, and Canadian instruments were also be on board. The Magion sub-satellites flew in close proximity to the Prognoz but could maneuver to as much as 10,000 km from the mother craft.

Typical orbit: 2332 x 94712 km, 65.4 deg inclinaton. Mass: 1,400 kg (3,000 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Molniya 8K78M.

• 1995 August 2 - Interbol 1 - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Mass: 1,250 kg (2,750 lb). Perigee: 4,426 km (2,750 mi). Apogee: 188,331 km (117,023 mi). Inclination: 68.20 deg. Period: 5,461.60 min.

  Particles and fields research. Paired with Magion 4 subsatellite.

• 1996 August 29 - Interbol 2 - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Mass: 1,400 kg (3,000 lb). Perigee: 1,369 km (850 mi). Apogee: 18,604 km (11,559 mi). Inclination: 63.60 deg. Period: 347.20 min.

  Auroral research. Paired with Magion 5 subsatellite.