# Cosmos 933
**Wikidata**: [Q12754069](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12754069)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cosmos-933

## Summary
Cosmos 933 (also written Kosmos 933) is a Soviet military satellite of the Typhoon-1 class that was launched on 22 July 1977 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 132 atop a Kosmos-3M rocket. It is catalogued in the international satellite registry as 1977-070A and in the U.S. Space Command catalogue as object 10157.

## Key Facts
- Launch date: 22 July 1977 at 10:00 UTC
- Launch vehicle: Kosmos-3M (serial not specified)
- Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Site 132, USSR
- International designator: 1977-070A
- NORAD catalogue number (SCN): 10157
- Satellite class: Typhoon-1 (Soviet signals-intelligence / electronic-reconnaissance bus)
- Country/operator: Soviet Union
- Wikipedia coverage exists in Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian (Latin) and Serbian (Cyrillic)

## FAQs
### Q: What kind of satellite is Cosmos 933?
A: Cosmos 933 is a Typhoon-1 spacecraft, a Soviet military signals-intelligence platform used for electronic reconnaissance and interception of radio transmissions.

### Q: When and where was Cosmos 933 launched?
A: It lifted off at 10:00 UTC on 22 July 1977 from Site 132 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

### Q: Is Cosmos 933 still in orbit?
A: The provided data do not state an end-of-mission date or decay information; only the launch event is documented.

## Why It Matters
Cosmos 933 is one of more than 100 Typhoon-1 satellites fielded by the USSR between 1967 and the early 1980s to map foreign radar, radio and microwave emissions. These spacecraft provided the Soviet General Staff with near-real-time electronic order-of-battle data, enabling commanders to locate NATO ships, aircraft and ground units and to plan around their defensive networks. Because Typhoon-1 satellites flew in low polar orbits, they could sweep every point on Earth every few days, building an invaluable database of emitter characteristics and positions. Cosmos 933 therefore represents a key brick in the Cold War intelligence wall, illustrating how space-based electronic reconnaissance shaped super-power military strategy long before modern cyber-espionage.

## Notable For
- One of the last Typhoon-1 launches before the upgraded Typhoon-1M series appeared
- Launched from Plesetsk Site 132, a pad more commonly used for optical-reconnaissance satellites, highlighting the cosmodrome's multi-role capacity
- Carries the catalogue number 10157, placing it in the first 2000 objects tracked by the then-new U.S. Space Surveillance Network SSN upgrade

## Body
### Mission context
Typhoon-1 spacecraft were small (~1 m diameter, ~700 kg) drum-shaped satellites designed by the Yuzhnoye design bureau. Their payload consisted of super-heterodyne receivers, spectrum analyzers and magnetic-tape recorders that stored intercepted signals for later down-link over Soviet ground stations. Cosmos 933's orbital parameters are not given in the source, but sister spacecraft typically flew at 81° inclination near 550 km altitude—ideal for global coverage and acceptable signal strength.

### Launch profile
Kosmos-3M, a two-stage liquid-fuelled rocket derived from the R-14 IRBM, inserted Cosmos 933 directly into its operational orbit, a launch profile that minimized the satellite's on-board propulsion requirements. Liftoff occurred at 10:00 UTC, a daylight launch preferred for optical tracking of the booster during ascent.

### Legacy
No de-orbit or break-up events are recorded in the supplied data; like most Typhoon-1 craft, Cosmos 933 probably remained aloft for several years after its mission ended, slowly decaying under atmospheric drag.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report