# Cosmos 2099
**Wikidata**: [Q12753608](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12753608)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cosmos-2099

## Summary
Cosmos 2099 (also spelled Kosmos 2099) is a Soviet-era Zenit 8 class military reconnaissance (spy) satellite. It was launched on 1990-08-31 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4 aboard a Soyuz-U rocket (COSPAR ID 1990-080A; satellite catalog number SCN 20779).

## Key Facts
- Cosmos 2099 is an instance of the Zenit 8 class, a military spy satellite type used by the Soviet Union.  
- Launch date: 1990-08-31.  
- COSPAR ID: 1990-080A.  
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 20779.  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz-U (a Soyuz rocket design variant — "Universal").  
- Launch site / start point: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4.  
- Significant recorded event: rocket launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4 on 1990-08-31 at 08:00:00.  
- Alternate name / alias: Kosmos 2099.  
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "20779"].  
- Wikipedia-language coverage (articles exist in): Macedonian (mk), Serbo-Croatian (sh), Serbian (sr).

## FAQs
### Q: What is Cosmos 2099?
A: Cosmos 2099 is a Zenit 8 class military reconnaissance (spy) satellite launched by the Soviet Union on 1990-08-31.

### Q: When and from where was Cosmos 2099 launched?
A: It was launched on 1990-08-31 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4; the recorded launch time is 08:00:00.

### Q: What rocket carried Cosmos 2099 into orbit?
A: Cosmos 2099 was launched aboard a Soyuz-U launch vehicle, a Soyuz rocket design variant known as "Universal."

### Q: What are its identifiers?
A: Official identifiers include COSPAR ID 1990-080A and satellite catalog number (SCN) 20779. It is also listed as Entity["Satellite", "20779"] in Wolfram Language.

## Why It Matters
Cosmos 2099 is part of the Zenit family of Soviet military reconnaissance satellites, a program that provided photographic and intelligence-gathering capability for the Soviet Union. As an individual flight in that series, Cosmos 2099 represents continued operational use of Zenit 8 hardware to meet state intelligence requirements at the end of the Cold War era. Its launch aboard a Soyuz-U rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome reflects standard Soviet launch infrastructure and vehicle choices for military payloads. For researchers of Cold War space activity, military spaceflight history, or cataloging of Soviet satellites, Cosmos 2099 is a verifiable datum — with clear launch date, launch site, vehicle type, and official identifiers (COSPAR and SCN) — that helps complete the record of late-20th-century Soviet reconnaissance deployments.

## Notable For
- Being a Zenit 8 class military reconnaissance (spy) satellite operated by the Soviet Union.  
- Launching on 1990-08-31, recorded with COSPAR ID 1990-080A and SCN 20779.  
- Use of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle, a common Soviet "Universal" Soyuz variant.  
- Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4, a regular Soviet military launch complex.  
- Presence in multiple language Wikipedias (mk, sh, sr) and a Wolfram Language entry under Entity["Satellite", "20779"].

## Body

### Overview
- Name: Cosmos 2099 (alias: Kosmos 2099).  
- Class/type: Zenit 8, a military spy/reconnaissance satellite class used by the Soviet Union.  
- Purpose (class-level): Reconnaissance / military intelligence (as indicated by the Zenit 8 classification).

### Identifiers
- COSPAR ID: 1990-080A.  
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 20779.  
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "20779"].  
- Wikipedia-language coverage: mk, sh, sr.

### Launch details
- Launch date (point in time): 1990-08-31.  
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4 on 1990-08-31 at 08:00:00.  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz-U (Soyuz rocket design variant — "Universal").  
- Launch site / start point: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4.

### Platform and classification
- Instance of: Zenit 8 (military reconnaissance satellite class).  
- Role: Part of the Soviet military reconnaissance satellite program (as indicated by Zenit 8 classification).

### Related systems
- Launch vehicle class: Soyuz-U — described as a Soyuz rocket design variant (Universal) associated with the Soviet Union.  
- Launch complex: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43/4, used for military launches.

### Metadata and references
- SCN reference identifier: 20779 (source recorded).  
- COSPAR reference: 1990-080A (source recorded).  
- Sitlink count: listed as 3 (presence in multiple wiki-language entries).

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report