| Kosmos 2441 | |
| Mission Type: | Reconnaissance |
| Operator: | VKS |
| Cospar Id: | 2008-037A |
| Satcat: | 33272 |
| Mission Duration: | 3-5 years (planned) ~2 months (achieved) |
| Spacecraft Type: | Persona |
| Manufacturer: | TsSKB Progress LOMO Vavilov State Optical Institute NPO Opteks |
| Launch Mass: | ~[1] |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Site: | Plesetsk 43/4 |
| Last Contact: | ~ |
| Orbit Epoch: | 31 July 2008[2] |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Sun-synchronous |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 714km (444miles) |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 732km (455miles) |
| Orbit Inclination: | 98.3 degrees |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 2441 (ru|Космос 2441 meaning Cosmos 2441), also known as Persona No.1, was a Russian optical reconnaissance satellite launched in 2008. The first Persona satellite, it failed a few months into its mission, which was scheduled to have lasted three to five years. It was the first Russian reconnaissance satellite to be placed into a Sun-synchronous orbit.[3]
Kosmos 2441 was launched by a Soyuz-2-1b carrier rocket flying from Site 43/4 of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch took place at 18:31:36 UTC on 26 July 2008,[4] and marked the first Soyuz-2-1b launch from Plesetsk. Following its successful deployment the satellite was given its Kosmos designation, and was assigned the International Designator 2008-037A and Satellite Catalog Number 33272.[5]
In February 2009, it was reported that Kosmos 2441 had failed shortly after launch.[6] The date of the failure was not announced, however the satellite was last seen to manoeuvre in September 2008.[7] The cause of the failure was reported to be an electrical problem, possibly caused by higher radiation levels encountered by the satellite in sun-synchronous orbit compared to previous satellites in lower-inclination orbits.[6] The next Persona satellite was not launched until 2013, when it was placed into orbit as Kosmos 2486.[8]