CLASSIFIED

2024-166B

Reconnaissance (classified) · Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS)

This object is Cosmos 2578, one of two small Russian military satellites launched together on September 17, 2024 aboard an Angara 1.2 rocket from Plesetsk — a launch Russian space-tracking analysts labeled 'OO MKA №2,' suggesting an experimental small-satellite mission. Officially, Russia's Ministry of Defense has released no details about the satellite's payload or purpose beyond the bare designation, which is standard practice for its military spacecraft; Wikipedia's spaceflight ledger lists its function only as 'reconnaissance.' The pairing with a near-identical sibling, Cosmos 2577, launched moments apart on the same rocket suggests some kind of formation or paired-mission architecture, though the specific technology being tested — whether imaging, signals collection, or something else — remains classified. This is a distinct object from Russia's Tundra/EKS early-warning constellation (Cosmos 2541 and similar numbers) and shouldn't be conflated with that program.