Soviet satellite puzzles U.S.

Press, 27 August 1977, Page 9

Soviet satellite puzzles U.S.

NZPA Washington Space observers in the United States and abroad are puzzled by a mysterious Soviet vehicle that has been in orbit for more than a month, the New York Times News Service has reported. It appears to be as large as the Soviet manned space laboratories of the Salyut series. Its orbit and radio telemetry characteristics suggest that it too is related !to a manned-space flight effort, but there appears to be no crew on board. Some observers speculate that it is either a test flight for a future space station or the first unit of a large station that could be assembled in orbit. Soviet space authorities have named it Cosmos 929 but have revealed virtually nothing about it. In recent years Soviet space experts have discussed the possibility of assembling 1 a large space station in orbit.

There were reports from Europe this year indicating that the Soviets planned to launch a space laboratory this summer. It was widely assumed that this was to be another Salyut, but no such orbiting vehicle has been launched.

Previously five Salyuts. have been put in orbit, the first early in 1971. They! were each about one-fifth [ the size of the United States Skylab that was put into orbit in 1973. One American space observer speculated that the anniversary this autumn of ' the October Revolution would be a logical time for the Soviet Union to announce its next major step in space and that Cosmos [ 929 might be related to such !a development. He emphasised. however, that this was! only speculation. Cosmos 929 was launched: on July 17 and attracted the interest of spacecraft watchers because of its size, its orbital characteristics, and its radio telemetry. Border dispute ■ The United Nations SecI retary-General (Dr Kurt Waldheim) has had talks with the Chad President (Mr Felix Malloum) on Chad’s current border dispute with Libya. Dr Waldheim arrived from Nigeria, where he opened the United Nationssponsored anti-apartheid conference in Lagos. —[ (Chad).