Cosmos 2540

The Geo-IK-2 is a Russian series of new generation military geodesy satellites replacing the Soviet Union's Geo-IK and Sfera constellations. They are intended to be used to create high precision three-dimensional maps of the Earth's surface, and to monitor plate tectonics. The satellites are produced by ISS Reshetnev, and have a mass of around 1,400 kilograms. They operate in a circular orbit at an altitude of around 1,000 kilometres above the Earth's surface. The satellite consists of a pressurized container, that is 1,3 m in diameter and length, heat-regulation shutters, honeycomb panels, and an astroplate with an antenna assembly and rigidly fixed solar arrays. Some elements of the electric power supply system and the thruster units of the propulsion system were taken from the Glonass-M spacecraft, parts of the attitude and orbit control system were borrowed from SESAT, Ekspress-AM and Luch-4.