EKS (satellite system)
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia (bus) and TsNII Kometa (payload.) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Operator | Kosmicheskie Voyska Rossii (Cosmic Forces, Russia) |
| Applications | Early warning of missile attack |
| Specifications | |
| Bus | Possibly USP (Victoria) |
| Power | Deployable solar arrays |
| Batteries | Yes |
| Equipment | Military early warning system and a reported secure emergency communications payload to be used in case of a nuclear war. |
| Regime | Molniya |
| Production | |
| Status | Active |
| On order | 3 |
| Launched | 6 |
| Operational | 6 |
| Retired | 0 |
| Maiden launch | EKS 1 / Tundra-11L, 17 November 2015 |
| Last launch | EKS 6 / Tundra-16L, 25 November 2022 |
EKS (Russian: Единая космическая система, romanized: Edinaya Kosmicheskaya Sistema meaning Integrated Cosmos System ) Kupol (Russian: Купол meaning Dome) is a developing programme of Russian early warning satellites as a replacement for the US-KMO and US-K satellites of the Oko programme.: 7 The satellites are designed to identify any possible future ballistic missile launches, from outer space, and complement early warning radars such as the Voronezh. This gives advance notice of a nuclear attack and would provide information to the A-135 missile defence system which protects Moscow, as well as other Russian missile defense and counterattack resources. Six satellites are planned to be initially orbited. The first of these was launched on 17 November 2015 and as of November 2022, all six of them are in service.