| Parus | |
| Manufacturer: | JSC Information Satellite Systems |
| Country: | Soviet Union Russia |
| Bus: | KAUR-1 |
| Applications: | Navigation Communications |
| Orbits: | Low Earth |
| Operator: | VKS |
| Lifetime: | 18-24 months |
| Derivedfrom: | Tsikada |
| Status: | Decommissioned |
| Operational: | Unknown |
| Built: | >99 |
| Launched: | 99 |
| Lost: | 1-4 |
| First: | Kosmos 700, 26 December 1974 |
| Autoconvert: | off |
Parus (ru|Парус meaning Sail), also Tsyklon-B or Tsiklon-B (ru|Циклон-Б meaning Cyclone-B) and Tsikada-M (ru|Цикада-М meaning Cicada-M),[1] GRAU index 11F627, was a Russian, previously Soviet satellite constellation used for communication and navigation. As of 2010, 99 Parus satellites had been launched, starting with Kosmos 700 in 1974.[2] All launches had been conducted using Kosmos-3M carrier rockets, flying from sites 132 and 133 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[3]
The prime function of Parus satellites was to provide location information for the Tsiklon-B navigation system.[4]
Parus satellites were produced by JSC Information Satellite Systems (formerly NPO PM), based on the KAUR-1 satellite bus. They had a mass of around, and a design life of 18–24 months.[1] The satellites operated in low Earth orbits, typically with a perigee of about, an apogee of and 82.9° inclination.[2] They were operated by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces, and were used primarily for navigation, Store and forward communication, and to relay data from US-P satellites.[2] Some of the navigation functions are believed to have been superseded by the GLONASS system.[2]