Orlets (Russian: Орлец) was a series of Russian, and previously Soviet photoreconnaissance satellites derived from and intended to augment the Yantar series of spacecraft. Ten satellites were launched between 1989 and 2006; eight in the Orlets-1 configuration and two in the Orlets-2 configuration.
Orlets satellites conducted optical imaging, returning images by means of film capsules. Orlets-1 spacecraft carried eight film capsules, whilst Orlets-2 carried twenty-two. Orlets-1 were launched by Soyuz-U and Soyuz-U2 carrier rockets, with the larger Zenit-2 being used to launch Orlets-2.
| Spacecraft | Type[1] | Launch Date (UTC)[2] | Carrier rocket | Launch pad | Orbit | Termination*[3] | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kosmos 2031 | Orlets-1 | 12:10 | Soyuz-U | 1/5 | |||
| Kosmos 2101 | Orlets-1 | 11:00 | Soyuz-U2 | 1/5 | |||
| Kosmos 2163 | Orlets-1 | 13:15 | Soyuz-U2 | 1/5 | |||
| Kosmos 2225 | Orlets-1 | 12:00:00 | Soyuz-U | 31/6 | |||
| Kosmos 2262 | Orlets-1 | 13:25:00 | Soyuz-U2 | 31/6 | |||
| Kosmos 2290 | Orlets-2[4] | 12:00 | Zenit-2 | 45/1 | |||
| Kosmos 2343 | Orlets-1 | 12:10:00 | Soyuz-U | 31/6 | |||
| Kosmos 2372 | Orlets-2 | 10:10 | Zenit-2 | 45/1 | |||
| Kosmos 2399 | Orlets-1 | 14:20:00 | Soyuz-U | 31/6 | |||
| Kosmos 2423 | Orlets-1 | 13:41:00 | Soyuz-U | 31/6 | |||
* — Orlets-1 missions terminated by self-destruct, Orlets-2 by controlled deorbit