Kosmos 2044

Kosmos 2044 / Bion 9
Космос 2044 / Бион 9
A Bion spacecraft
NamesBion 9
Biocosmos 9
Biokosmos 9
Mission typeBioscience
OperatorInstitute for Medical and Biological Problems (IMBP)
COSPAR ID1989-075A
SATCAT no.20242
Mission duration14 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftBion 9
Spacecraft typeBion
ManufacturerTsSKB
Launch mass6,000 kg (13,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date15 September 1989,
06:30:00 UTC
RocketSoyuz-U 11A511U
s/n T15000-599
Launch sitePlesetsk, Site 41/1
ContractorTsSKB
End of mission
Recovered bySoviet Space Forces
Landing date29 September 1989, 02:53 UTC
Landing siteMirny, Soviet Russia,
Soviet Union
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude216 km (134 mi)
Apogee altitude294 km (183 mi)
Inclination82.30°
Period89.30 minutes

Kosmos 2044, or Bion 9 (in Russian: Бион 9, Космос 2044) was a biomedical research mission involving in nine countries plus ESA: United Kingdom, Hungarian People's Republic, East Germany, Polish People's Republic, Czechoslovakia, United States, Canada, Australia, Soviet Union and European Space Agency (ESA). It was part of the Bion program.