Cosmos 44

Cosmos 44 was the third Russian experimental meteorological satellite and the first launched from the Tyuratam site. It was the first in a series of prototype satellites that eventually led to the orbiting of Russia's first announced experimental weather satellite, Cosmos 122. No official description of the Cosmos 44 flight has ever been released. However, the orbital parameters and configuration of the satellite were so similar to those of Cosmos 122 that it is generally assumed that Cosmos 44 was a precursor to the satellites of the experimental Cosmos 'Meteor' system. The satellite was in the form of a cylinder 3 m long and 1 m in diameter with two solar panels attached to the sides. A steerable antenna, also mounted on the side, operated at 90 MHz. The primary objective of the flight probably was to test the basic spacecraft hardware. Tests were probably also made on crude TV and IR cloud cameras and actinometric instruments, which may have failed to operate properly. As of June 1972, the satellite remained in orbit in a deactivated mode. Similar flights were made by Cosmos 48, 100, and 118.