Cosmos 1066

The Astrofizika (11F653) was a Soviet research satellite launched under the designation Kosmos 1066. The exact nature of the satellites mission has not yet been established. The Astrofizika name suggested a possible astrophysics payload but no science results had been published. It was based on the VNIIEM built Meteor-1 bus and is known, that it used two SPT-50 plasma thrusters for orbital maneuvers. Recent report suggest, that it carried special optical instruments for the observation of artificially created "light sources" on Earth. It has been speculated, that the mission of the satellite was military, perhaps in connection with Laser tests.