In 1998, a Russian nuclear submarine launched a German satellite from beneath the Barents Sea using a missile once designed to deliver nuclear warheads thousands of kilometres away

On July 7, 1998, the cold waters of the Barents Sea became the unlikely launchpad for two German nanosatellites, TUBSAT-N and TUBSAT-N1, as a Russian Delta-IV class nuclear submarine fired modified ballistic missiles skyward, marking the first known commercial space launch by the Russian Navy. The mission demonstrated how Cold War arsenals could be repurposed for peaceful exploration, as Russia grappled with economic crisis.

The Submarine: K-407 Novomoskovsk

The vessel at the heart of this historic launch was the K-407 Novomoskovsk, a Delta-IV class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine of the Russian Northern Fleet. These submarines, each displacing approximately 18,000 tons when submerged and measuring 167 meters in length, were designed during the Soviet era to carry 16 RSM-54 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads over 8,000 kilometers.


The Novomoskovsk was among the most advanced in the fleet, equipped with sophisticated navigation and launch systems that allowed it to fire missiles while submerged, a capability that added dramatic flair to the 1998 mission. For a navy facing severe budget cuts and a financial crisis at home, the submarine represented both a strategic asset and a potential revenue stream.

The Missile: RSM-54 repurposed

The launch vehicle was a modified RSM-54 missile, known to NATO as the SS-N-23 “Skiff”, a liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile originally designed to carry up to four nuclear warheads. The Makeyev Design Bureau, Russia’s premier developer of submarine-launched missiles, adapted the weapon to carry the 10-kilogram Tubsat-N research satellite instead of a warhead.

This conversion was no small feat. The missile’s guidance systems, originally calibrated for nuclear payloads on intercontinental trajectories, had to be reconfigured to place a small satellite into low-Earth orbit with precision. Some reports indicated that the booster was fired while the submarine remained submerged, adding complexity to an already unprecedented mission.

The Payload: Tubsat-N and TUBSAT-N1

The satellites, Tubsat-N and TUBSAT-N1, were developed by the Technical University of Berlin as a compact research platform, with the former weighing around 10 kilograms (22 pounds). It carried three experimental payloads: a reaction wheel for attitude control, a star sensor for navigation, and a store-and-forward communication system designed to relay data from autonomous environmental buoys in the North Atlantic and near the Canary Islands.

The communication payload consisted of four independent transceivers operating at 1200 and 2400 baud, with two working in the 2-meter frequency band and two in the 70-centimeter band using FFSK modulation, according to Space Daily. An additional downlink transmitter operated at 9600 baud with GMSK modulation. Power was supplied by nine NiCd battery cells (5 Ah each from SANYO), charged by two strings of 34 solar cells each.

The satellite’s mission extended beyond academia: it was also intended to track medium-sized and large mammals, monitor stolen vehicles, and collect environmental data, demonstrating the dual-use potential of small satellite technology.

The launch and its legacy

The Tubsat-N reached its planned low-Earth orbit successfully, validating the concept of submarine-launched commercial satellites. For Germany, it was a cost-effective entry into space; for Russia, a demonstration that its strategic arsenal could serve peaceful purposes; and for the world, a glimpse into a future where the tools of deterrence might also become instruments of exploration.