Strela_(satellite)
Strela (satellite)
Communications satellite constellation
Strela (Russian: Стрела, for Arrow) is a Russian (previously Soviet) military communications satellite constellation operating in low Earth orbit. These satellites operate as mailboxes ("store-and-forward"): they remember the received messages and then resend them after the scheduled time, or by a command from the Earth. Some sources state the satellites are capable of only three months of active operation, but through coordination with others[1] they can serve for about five years. The satellites are used for transmission of encrypted messages and images.