Resurs-O1 is a Russian/Soviet satellite series. The program was initiated by the USSR defense ministry in 1977 with the objective of observing and monitoring natural Earth resources. The first Resurs-O1 spacecraft started operations in 1985. The program was planned for a long-term observation capability - to continue at least until 2000. Applications: observation of the state of agricultural crops, assessment of hydrological conditions, forest and tundra fires, pollution monitoring, etc...

The Resurs-O1 spacecraft series employed the same bus as was being used by the Meteor-3 series of the former USSR - both platforms were designed and developed by VNIIEM, Moscow. The bus is cylindrical with a diameter of 1,4 m. The spacecraft incorporates three-axis stabilization. A peak power of 1.2 kW is provided by twin 10-m span solar panels. The S/C design life is 2 years. The spacecraft launch mass is about 1800-1900 kg including a payload mass of up to 600 kg. The orbit is adjusted/maintained by ion thrusters.

Originally, the Resurs-O1 series was scheduled to be replaced by the Resurs-O series, an evolutionary series with an increased payload in the time frame 2000 and beyond. However, the program was stalled at the start of the 21st century due to the tight economic situation in Russia.

Resurs-O1 n°3 carried an attached subpayload, the German Safir-1 communication experiment for OHB-System, Bremen. It tested a satellite-based, bi-directional communication System for digital data transfer.