PHOTOS Show Alleged Soviet Nuclear-Powered Satellites in Space

A series of satellites equipped with on-board nuclear power units were launched by the Soviet Union between 1965 and 1988, in a bid to monitor NATO warships.

Dutch astronomer Marco Langbroek has photographed what he claims are the Soviet nuclear-powered satellites Kosmos-1860 and Kosmos-1412. 

When posting their photos on his Twitter page, he referred to them as RORSAT (Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellites), an abbreviation that was used by Western countries when codenaming the Kosmos-1860 and the Kosmos 1412.

The photos, which were made in the Dutch town of Leiden, show what look like at least two bright points, seen against the background of stars in outer space.

#Nuclear power in Space:
These two images, which I shot from Leiden yesterday evening and this morning, show two old Soviet RORSAT, Kosmos 1860 and Kosmos 1412. These satellites were powered by a nuclear reactor.@MysteriousDrBex @drspacejunk @NuclearAnthro @SSC_NL pic.twitter.com/zfxnTrremK

— Dr Marco Langbroek (@Marco_Langbroek) 7 февраля 2018 г.

Commenting on his tweet with the photos, Langbroek said that each of the alleged satellites was equipped with a BES-5 Buk on-board nuclear power unit with a capacity of 5 kilowatts.

Between 1965 to 1988, the Soviet Union launched a total of 33 nuclear-powered Controlled Active Satellites into near-Earth orbit, tasked with monitoring NATO and merchant vessels with the help of a radar.

The inclusion of a nuclear power unit was caused by a lack of energy from solar batteries used by the satellites' radar. For safety purposes, the satellites were taken out to the high orbit of Earth after the end of their service life.