Zenit-2M / Gektor with FEU-170
Official name COSMOS 973
Alternative name Cosmos-973
Cospar ID 1977-124A
Norad ID 10540
Launch date 1977-12-27
Launch site TTMTR
Launch vehicle Soyuz-U
Country/Organization USSR
Type application Reconnaissance, photo (film return type)
Operator GRU
RCS size UNKNOWN
Decay date 1978-01-09
Shape Sphere + Cyl
Mass (kg) 5847.37
Diameter (m) 2.4
Height (m) 5.89
Span (m^2) 6.5
Lifetime 12 days
Contractors TsSKB
Equipment package
Propulsion 11D82M ?
Configuration Zenit bus
Power Batteries

The soviet Zenit-2M (Gektor, 11F690) was an improved version of the Zenit-2 area surveillance reconnaissance satellite. It was part of the Vostok-based Zenit-family.

The satellites consisted of the Vostok-based service and reentry modules. The spherical reentry module returned both the cameras and the film to earth at the end of the mission. This version replaced the Ftor-2R camera system with the improved Ftor-2R3 camera. The battery powered spacecrafts were designed for flights durations of 12 to 13 days.

These satellites operated from following, typical orbits:

  • 65.0°, 204-288 km altitude
  • 62.8°, 200-294 km altitude
  • 51.8°, 202-256 km altitude
  • 71.3°, 205-316 km altitude
  • 72.8°, 203-312 km altitude
  • 81.3°, 210-232 km altitude

The Zenit-2M satellites could carry autonomous scientific and technical Nauka payloads and deploy other payloads from the front end of the spherical return capsule. Kosmos 368 carried also biological experiments as a precursor to the dedicated Bion series.

A civil earth resources version was launched as Zenit-2M/NKh (Gektor-Priroda). The Zenit-2M was later replaced by the Zenit-6U (Argon) version.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
COSMOS 208 1968-022A 1968-03-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 228 1968-053A 1968-06-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 243 1968-080A 1968-09-23 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 293 1969-071A 1969-08-16 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 306 1969-093A 1969-10-24 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 313 1969-104A 1969-12-03 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 318 1970-001A 1970-01-09 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 329 1970-023A 1970-04-03 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 350 1970-050A 1970-06-26 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 353 1970-053A 1970-07-09 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 363 1970-074A 1970-09-17 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 366 1970-078A 1970-10-01 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 368 1970-080A 1970-10-08 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 377 1970-096A 1970-11-11 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 384 1970-105A 1970-12-10 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 392 1971-004A 1971-01-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 403 1971-026A 1971-04-02 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 410 1971-040A 1971-05-06 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 428 1971-057A 1971-06-24 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 431 1971-065A 1971-07-30 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 439 1971-078A 1971-09-21 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 443 1971-085A 1971-10-07 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 473 1972-006A 1972-02-03 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 477 1972-013A 1972-03-04 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 484 1972-026A 1972-04-06 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 490 1972-036A 1972-05-17 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 493 1972-042A 1972-06-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 512 1972-059A 1972-07-28 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 517 1972-067A 1972-08-30 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 518 1972-070A 1972-09-15 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 525 1972-083A 1972-10-18 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 537 1972-093A 1972-11-25 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 547 1973-006A 1973-02-01 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 552 1973-016A 1973-03-22 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 555 1973-024A 1973-04-25 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 561 1973-033A 1973-05-25 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 575 1973-043A 1973-06-21 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 578 1973-051A 1973-08-01 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 583 1973-062A 1973-08-30 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 596 1973-070A 1973-10-03 PKMTR Voskhod with FEU-170 1L
COSMOS 599 1973-073A 1973-10-15 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 629 1974-003A 1974-01-24 PKMTR Voskhod with FEU-170 2L
COSMOS 635 1974-014A 1974-03-14 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 640 1974-021A 1974-04-11 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 653 1974-031A 1974-05-15 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 658 1974-041A 1974-06-06 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 669 1974-059A 1974-07-26 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 685 1974-073A 1974-09-20 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 692 1974-087A 1974-11-01 PKMTR Voskhod with FEU-170 4L
COSMOS 696 1974-095A 1974-11-27 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 702 1975-002A 1975-01-17 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 721 1975-020A 1975-03-26 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 728 1975-031A 1975-04-18 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 731 1975-041A 1975-05-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 747 1975-060A 1975-06-27 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 751 1975-068A 1975-07-23 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 769 1975-088A 1975-09-23 PKMTR Voskhod with FEU-170 5L
COSMOS 776 1975-101A 1975-10-17 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 780 1975-108A 1975-11-21 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 784 1975-113A 1975-12-03 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 799 1976-009A 1976-01-29 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 809 1976-025A 1976-03-18 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 813 1976-033A 1976-04-09 PKMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 819 1976-045A 1976-05-20 TTMTR Voskhod
COSMOS 834 1976-058A 1976-06-24 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 840 1976-068A 1976-07-14 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 848 1976-082A 1976-08-12 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 856 1976-096A 1976-09-22 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 865 1976-109A 1976-11-01 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 879 1976-119A 1976-12-09 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 889 1977-003A 1977-01-20 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 898 1977-020A 1977-03-17 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 904 1977-028A 1977-04-20 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 914 1977-043A 1977-05-31 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 922 1977-058A 1977-06-30 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 935 1977-073A 1977-07-29 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 947 1977-081A 1977-08-27 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 950 1977-086A 1977-09-13 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 966 1977-115A 1977-12-12 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 973 1977-124A 1977-12-27 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 984 1978-006A 1978-01-13 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 992 1978-025A 1978-03-04 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 995 1978-030A 1978-03-17 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1002 1978-037A 1978-04-06 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1004 1978-043A 1978-05-05 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1012 1978-054A 1978-05-25 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1032 1978-088A 1978-09-19 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1044 1978-097A 1978-10-17 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1060 1978-111A 1978-12-08 TTMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1061 1978-114A 1978-12-14 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1070 1979-001A 1979-01-11 PKMTR Soyuz-U
COSMOS 1090 1979-027A 1979-03-31 PKMTR Soyuz-U