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DECLASSIFIED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE INTERAGENCY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION APPEALS PANEL E013526 SECTION 53(b)(3)

ISCAP APPEAL NO 2009-068 document no 139 -DECLASSIFICATION DATE February 252015

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SPECIAL HANDLING REQUIRED This dotument is releasable only WIR 3266

tq US and Canadian Nationals 12 Aug 66 AUG 15 1968

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NOR A D issue No 3266 12 August 1966

The WIRtn Brief

Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal

COSMOSES f2S 10~ T~JSTED flESTA f~TAfltLE -rtRtngtT UN T ND i1IiTUhJ-GONTROL SYiTEM Pa loraquo~i w~s t r~-cna - llk~ un-it

Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal

llliC( QQ$tioS lZ 6 A gtAt t ATI lN BEING DE~ ORBf T ltD

B ~ ou~h r down o-n middot ~ u v 14 3 F(JR MA NNED LUNA~ L~ Ol NG SOVfETS MO Y LA UNCH 2 MANNED GRAJT STPARATFlY

Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal

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SECRET

significant

lntellig~ence

on space

developm-ents

and trendmiddots

Cosmoses 125 102 Tested Restartable Thrust Unit and Attitude-Control System

The missions of Cosmoses 125 and l 02~ which pu2zled the intellishygence comrimnity at first are now believed to be

bull Test of a propulsion unit restartable in flight bull Te-st qf an attitude -control system rnore sophisticated than

any pFevio~sly identifi ed aboard Soviet Spacecrait

Cosm os 125 was launched at about 0859Z 20 July Cosmos 102 at about 2225Z 2 7 December 1965 -- both from Tyuxatam

Test of the Restartable ProEulsion Unit The main missimiddoton of Cosmos 125 apparently wa~ to test a vehicle which could be used to_inject payloads into orbit and middot c~uld be restarted at suitablcent times Jhereaftet in order to change orbital parameters opound th-e payload The propulsion un1t was th e refore an integral part opound the payload

Cosmos 125 was lauQched by the SS-6 ICBM booster sustainer usually used for TyUXatam launches but middot contrary to cu~itom~ it was not injected into orbit by a Lunik- ox Venik-ctype uppe r stage The SS-6 sustainer burning for a shorter time than usual injected the payload only into suborbital trashyjectory orbital injection wa-s executed by a payload-associated propulsion unit Vhich burned for 4~ seconds

The initial orbit was nearly circular with an altitude of aboqt 250 kilometers During R~volut~on 5 however the propulsion unit was reshyignitecl 3 times apparently in a test ef its c apability to restart in the 1leightshylessness of orbital flight The 3 thrust periods occurred over a time span of about 3 minutes ( 176 seconds ) -- twice in a pulsed mode of 32-seconds duration (each co(lsisting of 16 seconds of thrust and 16 seconds o- no thrus t and full pressurization) and once at re-duced thrulit whkh decayed until the propellant was depleted

-7shy

WIR 32 I 6 6 l 2 Aug 6 6 SECREJ

8~~~~------------------------------~-----------vw~~~soexet -

At the end ofthese orbital maneuvers Cosmos 125had an apogee of 257 kilometers and a perigee of 193 kilometers

Cosn1os 102 appears to have been virtually identical in orbital parameters mission and desi n to c6smos 125

indications ~--~~~~--~~----~~------------~--~~~----~ are that this vehicle tested the saine type of payload propulsion unit that Cosmos 125 did

~ Radar tracking confirms that there was no separate injection unit

bull Cosmos l 02 performed an orbital altitude middotmaneuver identical to that of Cosmos lZS and on the same revolution

lst oi a New Attituae-Control System Two types of systems or stabilizizig the payload in tlight were installed_ on b9th Cosmos 125 and Cosmos 102 shythe usual cold-gas jets and a more sophi~tiCated middotsystem using momentum flywheels

The gas jets were used only when the main propulsion unit of the payshyload was in use The flywheel system was used during the injection maneUveT the orbitaialtitude maneuver and the mapjo~ portion of the early orbital flight On both vehicles all onboard attitude-control a ad propulsion systems were shut down by ground command on Revolution 7 Both vehicles began to

tumble some time after shUtdown NO attempt was made to de-orbit either vehicle thus the tests apparently hiviiig been completed the Soviets lost interest in these pajloacis Both veh41es suifered natural dec ay Cosmos 102 re-entering 17 days after launch Ccgtsmos 125 re-enteiing 15 iJays a fte r launch

Retrospect and PrQspect The Soviets atinounlted that Cosrnmiddotoses 12 5 and 102 were performing the usualCosmos miltSsion of collecting data on nearshyEarth space but aU indications are that they were flight-testing spacecraft systems These t wo spacecraft resembled the maneuverable Polyots 1 and 2 which the Soviets launched respectively in late 1963 and early 1964 the main diffe r ences being that

middot bull The Polyots lacked the momentum-flywheel attitude -control system of Cosmose~ 102 andJZS

bull The PolyotS may have had a more powerCul propulsion unit s~nce a middott least one of them -- Polyot 2 -- changed orbital inclinmiddotation a maneuver whicmiddoth requires more energy thafi changing altitude

The Soviets did not assign the name middotmiddotbullPolyot to the two most recent man euverable vehicles probably because their doing so would have called

~ 8 eeere=t~WIR 3266 12 Aug 66

SECRET

significant

lntellig~ence

on space

developm-ents

and trendmiddots

Cosmoses 125 102 Tested Restartable Thrust Unit and Attitude-Control System

The missions of Cosmoses 125 and l 02~ which pu2zled the intellishygence comrimnity at first are now believed to be

bull Test of a propulsion unit restartable in flight bull Te-st qf an attitude -control system rnore sophisticated than

any pFevio~sly identifi ed aboard Soviet Spacecrait

Cosm os 125 was launched at about 0859Z 20 July Cosmos 102 at about 2225Z 2 7 December 1965 -- both from Tyuxatam

Test of the Restartable ProEulsion Unit The main missimiddoton of Cosmos 125 apparently wa~ to test a vehicle which could be used to_inject payloads into orbit and middot c~uld be restarted at suitablcent times Jhereaftet in order to change orbital parameters opound th-e payload The propulsion un1t was th e refore an integral part opound the payload

Cosmos 125 was lauQched by the SS-6 ICBM booster sustainer usually used for TyUXatam launches but middot contrary to cu~itom~ it was not injected into orbit by a Lunik- ox Venik-ctype uppe r stage The SS-6 sustainer burning for a shorter time than usual injected the payload only into suborbital trashyjectory orbital injection wa-s executed by a payload-associated propulsion unit Vhich burned for 4~ seconds

The initial orbit was nearly circular with an altitude of aboqt 250 kilometers During R~volut~on 5 however the propulsion unit was reshyignitecl 3 times apparently in a test ef its c apability to restart in the 1leightshylessness of orbital flight The 3 thrust periods occurred over a time span of about 3 minutes ( 176 seconds ) -- twice in a pulsed mode of 32-seconds duration (each co(lsisting of 16 seconds of thrust and 16 seconds o- no thrus t and full pressurization) and once at re-duced thrulit whkh decayed until the propellant was depleted

-7shy

WIR 32 I 6 6 l 2 Aug 6 6 SECREJ

8~~~~------------------------------~-----------vw~~~soexet -

At the end ofthese orbital maneuvers Cosmos 125had an apogee of 257 kilometers and a perigee of 193 kilometers

Cosn1os 102 appears to have been virtually identical in orbital parameters mission and desi n to c6smos 125

indications ~--~~~~--~~----~~------------~--~~~----~ are that this vehicle tested the saine type of payload propulsion unit that Cosmos 125 did

~ Radar tracking confirms that there was no separate injection unit

bull Cosmos l 02 performed an orbital altitude middotmaneuver identical to that of Cosmos lZS and on the same revolution

lst oi a New Attituae-Control System Two types of systems or stabilizizig the payload in tlight were installed_ on b9th Cosmos 125 and Cosmos 102 shythe usual cold-gas jets and a more sophi~tiCated middotsystem using momentum flywheels

The gas jets were used only when the main propulsion unit of the payshyload was in use The flywheel system was used during the injection maneUveT the orbitaialtitude maneuver and the mapjo~ portion of the early orbital flight On both vehicles all onboard attitude-control a ad propulsion systems were shut down by ground command on Revolution 7 Both vehicles began to

tumble some time after shUtdown NO attempt was made to de-orbit either vehicle thus the tests apparently hiviiig been completed the Soviets lost interest in these pajloacis Both veh41es suifered natural dec ay Cosmos 102 re-entering 17 days after launch Ccgtsmos 125 re-enteiing 15 iJays a fte r launch

Retrospect and PrQspect The Soviets atinounlted that Cosrnmiddotoses 12 5 and 102 were performing the usualCosmos miltSsion of collecting data on nearshyEarth space but aU indications are that they were flight-testing spacecraft systems These t wo spacecraft resembled the maneuverable Polyots 1 and 2 which the Soviets launched respectively in late 1963 and early 1964 the main diffe r ences being that

middot bull The Polyots lacked the momentum-flywheel attitude -control system of Cosmose~ 102 andJZS

bull The PolyotS may have had a more powerCul propulsion unit s~nce a middott least one of them -- Polyot 2 -- changed orbital inclinmiddotation a maneuver whicmiddoth requires more energy thafi changing altitude

The Soviets did not assign the name middotmiddotbullPolyot to the two most recent man euverable vehicles probably because their doing so would have called

~ 8 eeere=t~WIR 3266 12 Aug 66

8~~~~------------------------------~-----------vw~~~soexet -

At the end ofthese orbital maneuvers Cosmos 125had an apogee of 257 kilometers and a perigee of 193 kilometers

Cosn1os 102 appears to have been virtually identical in orbital parameters mission and desi n to c6smos 125

indications ~--~~~~--~~----~~------------~--~~~----~ are that this vehicle tested the saine type of payload propulsion unit that Cosmos 125 did

~ Radar tracking confirms that there was no separate injection unit

bull Cosmos l 02 performed an orbital altitude middotmaneuver identical to that of Cosmos lZS and on the same revolution

lst oi a New Attituae-Control System Two types of systems or stabilizizig the payload in tlight were installed_ on b9th Cosmos 125 and Cosmos 102 shythe usual cold-gas jets and a more sophi~tiCated middotsystem using momentum flywheels

The gas jets were used only when the main propulsion unit of the payshyload was in use The flywheel system was used during the injection maneUveT the orbitaialtitude maneuver and the mapjo~ portion of the early orbital flight On both vehicles all onboard attitude-control a ad propulsion systems were shut down by ground command on Revolution 7 Both vehicles began to

tumble some time after shUtdown NO attempt was made to de-orbit either vehicle thus the tests apparently hiviiig been completed the Soviets lost interest in these pajloacis Both veh41es suifered natural dec ay Cosmos 102 re-entering 17 days after launch Ccgtsmos 125 re-enteiing 15 iJays a fte r launch

Retrospect and PrQspect The Soviets atinounlted that Cosrnmiddotoses 12 5 and 102 were performing the usualCosmos miltSsion of collecting data on nearshyEarth space but aU indications are that they were flight-testing spacecraft systems These t wo spacecraft resembled the maneuverable Polyots 1 and 2 which the Soviets launched respectively in late 1963 and early 1964 the main diffe r ences being that

middot bull The Polyots lacked the momentum-flywheel attitude -control system of Cosmose~ 102 andJZS

bull The PolyotS may have had a more powerCul propulsion unit s~nce a middott least one of them -- Polyot 2 -- changed orbital inclinmiddotation a maneuver whicmiddoth requires more energy thafi changing altitude

The Soviets did not assign the name middotmiddotbullPolyot to the two most recent man euverable vehicles probably because their doing so would have called

~ 8 eeere=t~WIR 3266 12 Aug 66

-~~~~-----------------------------------------~middot ~~middot secret ~middot

attention to prb ital maneuvers far less sophisticated thal1 those accomplished by the U$1s Syncom and Gemini -spacecraft and the Titan 3 transstage Inshystead they announced tbat the two were Cosmos reseaPch s ate lliteS - shya strategem of conccalrotitnt previously used for ilight-test spacecraft satellites with classified mismiddotsions (such as recann~issance satellite s L a nd vehicles which fail to accomplish any mission othez than achievement of orbit

The Soviets n eed r estartable propulsion units and sophisticated 13-thtudmiddote-control systems for h~middotcreased operational f~eibility and mission versatility apound their mi~itary resean h and utilitarian satellites

Stabilizatlon maneuver and $iz e and shQpe (about 23 feet long~ 6 feet in diamete r) indicate that Cosmos 125 was an Agenatype vehicle (DIA NORAD) (SECRET)

Portion identified as nonshyresponsive to the appeal

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Portion identified as non- I responsive to the appealI

Reece Cosmos l26a Day Late in Being De-orbited

C os-mos 126 a r ecltI)llaissance s ate llite which the Soviet smiddot launcheltl fr om Tyufltatam at about lOSOZ 28 July was de-orbited 6 Augttst pro bably impacting in the USSR at a bout 09Z7Zmiddot dur middoting Revolu tion 143 iftelr sp~ding nearly 9 dafgt in orbit middot

Mosl Soviet recce Cosmoses launched in 1964 1965 a nd 1966 have been de -orPited on Revolutions 12 6 middot 1 27 o r 128 after smiddotp end-ing near ly 8 days in orbit

The Soviets have failed iu only one d e -oTbit att eznp t of a Cosmos l e connaissance satellite -- c~smos 5 0 which e-xp lodeltil when dt-e - qrbit was attempted N ORAD) SECRET NQ- F OREIGN DISSEMINA TION -- Releqgt able t o US UK amp Canada)

For Manned Lunar Landing middotSovietS May Launch 2 Manned Craft Se~arately

The Soviets in their coming attempt to la nd m~n otl the M ltruln) may plan to launch 2 manned spacecraft ~~eparately This possibility was s ugshygested last O c t ober by an a rticle in M oscow News which d e sc ribe( a Jgt O S shy

sible lunar znan~Jed-landirlg attempt as (ollows

Two s piceships A anid B fly to the Moon SpltJcellltip A becornres a Moon sate llite and ~ m ake$ a landi ng A-poundter compl eting theil r-es earch plograplusmnn t he cosmonaUt-s tak e Off in spac es lgtip B but d o not ~ry to reach t he E art h they only r e a ch spa c eship A which take s them aboa rd and then b-rii1gs them b a ck to E a rth

~~ 10----------------------~~s~e~c~r~e~~v~ WIR ~ 266 12 Aag 66

~----------~--------------------------~ gt

-smiddot ~~~r-------------------------------------------- ~I~saoret -

In this m ode too brie fly described above the t w o s pacecra-ft prohably will fir st be launc_hed separately into Earth parking orbit with an upper r ocket stage attached to eaeh Th~ uppEumiddot stage will at the p ropet time launch tJte s p a cec raft toward the Moon On a pproaching the Moon spaceshycraft A will enter lllnar parking orbit while B will s oftland on the Moon The ~rew of B will exit their spacmiddote craft accompiLi sh camprtain taskJS on the l~nar surface and re board their spacecraft ancl lau11Ch it into lunar orbit whe re it will rendezvo us with A lt is not believed however that B will doc k with A in~t~ad tl1e crew opound B will walk in ~pace 11 to A and enter it Space c raIt A middotwill then return both c r ews to the Earth middot

Bot h spacecraf t will probably w~igh th-e same out A w ill b e larger in volun1e to a ccommodate both cre ws poundott the return t rip to t he E arth

The Apollo M ode -- a Comparison The US 1s Apollo SPacecraftmiddot conststing opound 3 modules service cotnm and and hin~r-excurs ion) will be- injected into Earth parking orbit by the SaturJ1 V The Saturn IV -B third s t age will inject the 3 roodules into t r a nsfer t1middotajectory toward t~e Jvioon Sometime after third-sta_ge burno11t ~ the command and s e rvic e molth~le~ will S-e parate rotate 180 degree s and mate with th~ LEM Lunar-centxcursiOG module) t o put tlLe modules into proper alignn-tent The s p ent Saturn n- B will then be jettismiddotoned Th~ service module will middotptoviltle milig4Lguidan ce for the t rip towarlti the Moon Also its retrothmiddotrust wil l be o s e d to p l ac e the 3 ~modQle assembly into parkin g orbit 90 milelt a bove the Moon

Whil-e the ApollG assembly is in lunar orbit two members opound the 3 ~man c r ew will transie1middot to the LEM and separa te it fro m the other mochde-s If all c hecks out the LEM will ma~e ~t S soft l~nding on the Moon

middotThe a-stronauts 1 staying on the Moon f OT up to 2 day$ wi11 collec t sarnples of lunar- surface material txansrnlt pic tux-es and data to the E~pth and place on the Moon an e)tperiment package which will transmit data to the E~rth for 6-12 months middot middot

On compl eting their tasks the astronauts will return to t he LEM leaving it$ l egs and d escent engines on th e Moon la1+nch it into l unar orbit rendezvous at+d dotk with the otbiting commartd-and-s~rvice-moctu~e assembly_ and ttansier to the command- modUle Lhe L EM w ill then he j e ttis oned4 The as setnbly will then eject from lunar orbi t for r etUrn to the Ea rth The service m odule after fur nis hing illllight gllidanee will be oned llefore re-entry

tlie OrlSitaJ-Launcn 1iLoo~ an tilternate lossiollity A thixd possibility and one which it was at first ~elieved the Soviets would use the orbitalshylaunch facility ln this modeJ the spacecraft or module a s sembly would be inJected into Earth parking orbit where it would hook up a p rerloUsly launched propulsion unit middot This nit would be used to inject t h 0 crapoundt omiddotr asshysembly into transfer trajectory t oward the Moon Thi s mode wo uld probably also plusmnnvolve 2 or 3 modules one to make the ~oft-landing another to remain in orbit and return t he comonauts to Ea rth ~~

11 seoret

~ ~~~~e~oar~o~~-----------~--~--------------------------------- I

B li~

Prospects for the 2-Launch Mode~ The Moscow News article i5 the iirst indicatio+t that the Soviets have considered or ~re considering thelt 2-la1lnch type of operation W~ile sq~h Soviet ptess art ides are not n~ceurossarily poundirtn ndications Of official jptenfions they canJlot be ignored Bfnce th~y of-fellmiddot have been e onfirtned by later tilev~ldpments middot middot

In this case tlltie descvibed mode has Gertain advantages vvhich the Soviets migmiddotht want to exploit

bull Much less weight would have middotto be in3ected into Emiddotqmiddottb -p~t~g orbit il1 a single latmltth th~n would be required f~l an pollcJshytype mission ir~~ L~tt~r wouJd re9uire that the SovietsJ2Ut about 300~ 000 pounds into Earth parking otbit ip a singl~ lalltcmiddoth F~o~ the missi-on desclihed il) Mo$cow New~ the rnaxiJnWb weight r~quir ~d for a smiddoting-le launeh -would be about 21-4 bull 000 p9mds amiddotssnmulg that spacenteeraft A and spacecr-aJt B would each weigh about 10 000 pouncls The Apollo-type rnispoundion t~s would require deliign d~velopment and constr-lction of a much larger and cGmpletely QeW propOrlsion system The only new propulsiqn unit~ be developed for the 2-launch mQde would be a largmiddote fi~st Sf~ge Jo be plac eil l~der tPe existing 2-~tilsge JlOshyton launcher bull The 2-launch mode w6uid a1sc btvolve l~s e~ tensive EVA (extravehicular activity) than tbe Apono m~~~middoton

bull It would not require development arid test of a$ marty o~yraHohs _ ~middot - r

aa woUld lgte ilJvolved inmiddot the or~itaJ-)aunch-Jamiddotdlity niQd latter WlUle it wGUld alSO ilpoundltguire less wefght than the tyve Pili~JiO~~ gtvoul~ lpvolV~ rmiddot~~zyotrs doF~tSmiddot ana iampO~bit fuel tilClilSf~r t Ch(icltetit aJnd laUltn OJ~rtatiOnS 1 ~$ We~l a_smiddot tnafl shytatiog dpound the sy~teros involled_ Tlfe titne r~q~re~ t~ -dgte~el)p and tes1t these ~eratielilgt ad the relafed equrip9~~euro eb~ld de~ lay launch of tbA ac~l middotmallPedmiddot ltihar mission c (i)lfSI~euOL9 In this connect4on 1~ ~a_y middot be significant that the Smiddotov~ett~ hav~ already accompli$hed theh lirst simple EVA a prehxCle to the EVA which would he requilcd opound crewmen tran~ferldlamp t~~ spalt~craft B to spacecrapoundt A iJl the 2-lal+nch rtgtltdde bl~ittejy middot have not yet tried ~he docki]tg and other s ophist~ltated e~e~ions that woul-d be i=CJuired for the crrbita1-laupch facility m~ne middotmiddot middot

The 2-launch mode is enHreLy easibl-e and since less develbp-ment time would probably be invelte-cf~ might peNnit an eampjlier Sovie~ attem~t a~ a manned Lunar landing~ This poundactor could be very tempting to the Soviets However tne- 2-launc-h mwle is m-ore complex in profile and mis-si~ lbullemiddot middot liabi1ity w~ld 0~ reduc~d middot

(FTD NORAD) (ampECRET NO FORlilGN QISS~M4gtJAl~QN ~ Releasablemiddot to NA PO AIU-s amp ~~

l2 ---_______SSEO~OaaF~Ot=tv

WIR ~266 12 Aug 66