@scottmanley
  @scottmanley
Scott Manley | The Massive Molniya Satellites - How The Soviet Union Solved Satellite Communications Their Own Way. @scottmanley | Uploaded 11 months ago | Updated 3 hours ago
Part 4 of a series on communications satellites. The Soviet Union had a big advantage in launch vehicle capability, but, while the US had adapted the Delta to launch small satellites into Geostationary orbits the R7 which had carried spacecraft to the Moon and Venus was not capable of doing the equivalent without significant redesign. Instead, the Soviet Union's scientists came up with their own solution which had some advantages for covering the massive territory of the USSR.

The Molniya satellites would be in a highly eccentric orbit that spent about 6 hours per day over the USSR, this orbit was easier to reach and this let them launch spacecraft 40 times the mass of the American satellites. but as communications platforms they were no more capable.

Most of this information comes from Boris Chertok's Memoir - Rockets and People, specifically volume 3 "Hot Days Of The Cold War" - NASA has translated this and I highly recommend it.
nasa.gov/history/history-publications-and-resources/nasa-history-series/rockets-and-people

Follow me on Twitter for more updates:
twitter.com/DJSnM

I have a discord server where I regularly turn up:
discord.gg/zStmKbM

If you really like what I do you can support me directly through Patreon
patreon.com/scottmanley
The Massive Molniya Satellites - How The Soviet Union Solved Satellite Communications Their Own Way.Top Gun Pilot Lands Space ShuttleDelta Launches for Last Time, Falcon Boosts Lands for 20th Time - Deep Space UpdatesRecord Number Of Humans In Space! - Deep Space Updates May 29thNew PC Building!!!How Engineers Designed The First Computer To Fly In SpaceDeep Space Questions: What Is Max-Q? Strange Lights In The Sky? Orbital Grammar?Eclipse 2024 Was Almost a Disaster - Saved By Last Minute Change of PlansWhy Are There Two Different Types Of Electric Space Engines, And How Do They Work?Why Did SpaceXs Oldest Booster Crash Land? - Was it Engines? Radar? Big Waves?Clouds Of Copper,  The Moon & Balloons: The Pre-History Of Communications SatellitesThe Crazy Story Of Japans First Asteroid Mission - Hayabusa Survived Using Expensive Rocket Fuel

The Massive Molniya Satellites - How The Soviet Union Solved Satellite Communications Their Own Way. @scottmanley

SHARE TO X SHARE TO REDDIT SHARE TO FACEBOOK WALLPAPER