The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.

[3] A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 01:38 UTC on 11 April 1977.

[4] The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 9911.

[4] It was reported in History and the Current Status of the Russian Early-Warning System, that it self-destructed.

[1] The primary portion of it re-entered on August 4, 2014, but several pieces of its debris still remain in orbit.