Koronas-Foton

Koronas-Foton (), also known as CORONAS-Photon (Complex Orbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun-Photon), was a Russian solar research satellite. It was the third satellite in the Russian CORONAS programme, and part of the international Living With a Star programme. It was launched on 30 January 2009, from Site 32/2 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, aboard the final flight of the Tsyklon-3 rocket. On 1 December 2009 all scientific instruments on the satellite were turned off due to the problems with power supply that were caused by a design flaw. On 18 April 2010 the creators of the satellite announced it was lost "with a good deal of certainty".

==Overview== The goal was to investigate the processes of free energy accumulation in the Sun's atmosphere, accelerated particle phenomena and solar flares, and the correlation between solar activity and geomagnetic storms on Earth. Launch occurred successfully on 30 January 2009, and the first batch of science data was downloaded from the satellite on 19 February 2009. The satellite operated in a 500 x 500 km x 82.5° polar low Earth orbit and was expected to have an operational lifetime of three years. It encountered power system problems during the first eclipse season, about six months after launch, and contact with the satellite was lost on 1 December 2009. The satellite returned to life on December 29 after its solar panels received enough light to power its control systems, but attempts to revive the satellite failed, and the satellite was considered lost.