# Cosmos 1492
**Wikidata**: [Q13566628](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13566628)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cosmos-1492

## Summary
Cosmos 1492 (also spelled Kosmos 1492) is a Soviet military satellite that was launched on 10 August 1983 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200 aboard a Proton-K rocket equipped with a Blok DM-2 space tug. It is catalogued as satellite number 14260 and international designator 1983-084C, and belongs to the long-running Kosmos series of spacecraft used for defense and intelligence purposes.

## Key Facts
- Launch date: 10 August 1983 at 18:24:26 UTC
- Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200, Kazakh SSR
- Launch vehicle: Proton-K with Blok DM-2 upper stage
- International designator (COSPAR ID): 1983-084C
- Satellite catalogue number: 14260
- Series: Kosmos (Soviet/Russian military satellite lineage)
- Wolfram Language entity: Entity["Satellite", "14260"]
- Wikipedia coverage: mk, sh, sr (3 sitelinks total)

## FAQs
### Q: What kind of satellite is Cosmos 1492?
A: Cosmos 1492 is a Kosmos-series military satellite. The Kosmos designation has been applied to a wide range of Soviet and Russian military spacecraft, including reconnaissance, communications, and technology-testing missions launched between 1962 and the present.

### Q: When and where did Cosmos 1492 launch?
A: It lifted off on 10 August 1983 at 18:24:26 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200 in present-day Kazakhstan, using a Proton-K rocket with a Blok DM-2 upper stage.

### Q: Is Cosmos 1492 still in orbit?
A: The provided data do not specify an end-of-mission date or re-entry information; only the launch event is documented.

## Why It Matters
Cosmos 1492 represents one of more than 2,500 flights that have carried the "Kosmos" label since 1962, forming the backbone of Soviet space-based military capabilities during the Cold War. Each Kosmos launch incrementally expanded the USSR's ability to monitor terrestrial activity, demonstrate heavy-lift reliability, and maintain a continuous presence in low-Earth and geostationary orbits. The 1983 launch date places Cosmos 1492 in a period of intensified strategic competition, when satellite constellations provided essential reconnaissance and early-warning functions. The use of the Proton-K vehicle with the Blok DM-2 upper stage also underscores the Soviet strategy of leveraging high-energy propulsion for precise orbit insertion, a capability that influenced later Russian commercial and scientific missions. For historians and technologists, Cosmos 1492 is a data point in the larger story of how standardized satellite naming and serial production enabled sustained military space operations.

## Notable For
- One of only three Wikipedia-language editions (Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Serbian) that document the flight, indicating limited public-domain coverage compared with better-known Kosmos missions
- Flown on the Proton-K / Blok DM-2 stack, a configuration prized for lifting heavy payloads to geostationary or high-energy orbits
- Shares the 1983-084 launch sequence with other payloads, illustrating the Soviet practice of launching multiple satellites on a single rocket
- Carries the catalogue number 14260, allowing precise tracking in public satellite databases such as the U.S. Space Force's Space-Track catalogue

## Body
### Mission and identity
Cosmos 1492 is entered in public satellite catalogues as object 14260 and international designator 1983-084C. The "C" suffix shows it was the third object catalogued from that launch. The sitelink count of three across Wikipedia editions indicates sparse open-source coverage compared with better-publicized Kosmos flights.

### Launch vehicle and timeline
The Proton-K, a four-stage heavy-lift vehicle developed by the USSR, flew with the Blok DM-2 upper stage to inject payloads into high or circular orbits. Liftoff occurred at 18:24:26 UTC on 10 August 1983 from Site 200 at Baikonur, one of two Proton launch pads active during that era. No orbital parameters or mission duration are provided in the source material.

### Broader programme context
Since 1962 the Soviet military has assigned the cover name "Kosmos" to a wide array of spacecraft, including optical reconnaissance, radar ocean surveillance, electronic intelligence, and technology testers. Cosmos 1492's specific mission type is not stated, but its inclusion in the Kosmos series places it within this defence-oriented portfolio.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report