Space Surveillance System Described

This document is a JPRS report from October 10, 1990, detailing the capabilities of the Soviet Union's outer space monitoring system, known as SKKP. The report, authored by Lieutenant Colonel A. Dokuchayev for the publication KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, provides a brief look into the command post of this strategic system. During a visit to the facility, the author is shown an enormous bay filled with multicolored screens and displays that allow operators to monitor the 'moving cosmos.' Colonel V. Nikolskiy, who guides the tour, emphasizes the facility's ability to observe space. Colonel G. Kovsh, the chief of the department, provides statistics regarding the objects being tracked. He notes that more than 7,000 objects have been counted in outer space, including both active and inactive satellites. He further estimates that there are more than 20,000 objects in total currently in orbit. The report highlights the potential hazards of this orbital clutter, noting that even an ordinary needle could pierce a spacecraft, though it clarifies that not all space apparatuses are considered harmless.