Polyus ( spacecraft ) The Polyus spacecraft ( , " pole " ) , also known as Polus , Skif - DM , GRAU index 17F19DM , was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy SDI satellites with a megawatt carbon - dioxide laser . It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could fire test targets to demonstrate the fire control system . The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system , but failed to reach orbit . According to Yuri Kornilov , Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau , shortly before Polyus ' launch , Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome and expressly forbade the on - orbit testing of its capabilities . Kornilov claims that Gorbachev was worried that it would be possible for Western governments to view this activity as an attempt to create a weapon in space and that such an attempt would contradict the country ' s previous statements on the USSR ’ s peaceful intent . For technical reasons , the payload was launched upside down . It was designed to separate from the Energia , rotate 180 degrees in yaw , then 90 degrees in roll and then fire its engine to complete its boost to orbit . The Energia functioned perfectly . However , after disconnecting from Energia , the Polyus spun a full 360 degrees instead of the planned 180 degrees . When the rocket fired , it slowed and burned up in the atmosphere over the south Pacific ocean . This failure was attributed to a faulty inertial guidance system that had not been rigorously tested due to the rushed production schedule . Parts of the Polyus project ' s hardware were re - used in Kvant - 2 , Kristall , Spektr and Priroda Mir modules , as well as in ISS , Zarya and FGB . Development . NPO " Energia " received orders from the Soviet government to begin research on space - based strike weapons in the mid - 70s . Even before , the USSR had been developing maneuverable satellites for the purpose of satellite interception . By the beginning of the 1980s , " Energia " had proposed two programs : laser - equipped " Skif " and guided missiles platform " Kaskad " ( where " Skif " would cover the low - orbit targets , " Kaskad " engaged targets in high and geosynchronous orbits ) . Together with NPO " Astrofizika " and KB " Salyut " , they began developing their orbital weapons platform based on the Salyut DOS - 17K frame . Later , when the objective of ICBM interception proved too difficult , the aims of the project were shifted towards anti - satellite weapons . The 1983 announcement by the US of their SDI program prompted further political and financial support for the satellite interceptor program . In the nuclear exchange scenario , the interceptors would decimate the SDI satellites , followed by a so - called " pre - emptive retaliation " large - scale Soviet ICBM launch . The laser chosen for the " Skif " spacecraft was the 1 - megawatt carbon - dioxide laser , developed for the Il - 76LL s BL aircraft ( an Il - 76 flying laboratory with a combat laser ) , also known as the A - 60 . The introduction of the " Energia " , capable of launching about 95 tonnes into orbit , finally allowed the spacecraft to accommodate the massive laser . The massive exhaust of the carbon - dioxide laser precipitated the objective of making the laser " recoil - less " . The " zero - torque exhaust system " ( SBM ) was developed to that end . Its testing in orbit meant the release of a large cloud of carbon dioxide , which would hint at the satellite ' s purpose . Instead , the xenon - krypton mix would be used to simultaneously test the SBM and perform an innocent experiment on Earth ' s ionosphere . In 1985 , the decision was made to test - launch the new " Energia " launch vehicle , which was still in the testbed phase . A 100 - ton dummy payload was initially considered for the launch , but in a series of last - minute changes , it was decided that the almost - completed " Skif " spacecraft would be launched instead for a 30 - day mission . The development of the real Skif was completed in just one year , from September 1985 to September 1986 . Testing and tweaking the " Energia " launch vehicle , the launch pad and the " Skif " itself moved the launch to February , and later to May 1987 . According to Boris Gubanov , the head designer of the " Energia " launch vehicle , the work schedule of the preceding years was exhausting , and at the point of Mikhail Gorbachev ' s visit on 11 May , he asked the Soviet premier to clear the launch now , because " there will be heart attacks " . The catastrophic malfunction that led to " Skif " entering the atmosphere in the same area as " Energia ' s " second stage was successfully investigated . It was found that 568 seconds after launch , the timing control device gave the logical block a command to discard the side modules ' covers and laser exhaust covers . Unknowingly , the same command was earlier used to open the solar panels and disengage the maneuvering thrusters . This wasn ' t discovered because of the logistics of the testing process and overall haste . Main thrusters engaged while the Skif kept turning , overshooting the intended 180 - degree turn . The spacecraft lost speed and reverted to the ballistic trajectory . The launch fulfilled its scientific and testing purposes to approximately 80 % , including geophysics and military experiments , research of launching a 100 - ton class spacecraft , and data for the further development of the Energia / Buran project .