Molniya-1
Communications satellite in a highly elliptical orbit
On display
A geostationary orbit suits high latitudes poorly: the satellite sits on the horizon. The answer was an elongated orbit with apogee about 40 000 kilometres over the northern hemisphere — the spacecraft "hangs" above the country for six to eight hours, and three satellites give round-the-clock coverage.
That orbit took the satellite's own name — the Molniya orbit — and is still in use. The first spacecraft carried three transponders and steerable high-gain antennas with an Earth-pointing system.
On display is a mock-up with deployed solar arrays and parabolic antennas.
