The scientific apparatus was developed by the Ioffe Physics-
Technical Institute (FTI), Saint Petersburg. It undertook
fundamental astrophysics research in cosmic gamma rays. The
mission was conducted in collaboration with NASA. The Konus-A
was equipped with a gamma ray detector that allowed localization
of astronomical gamma ray sources. The spacecraft carried 130 kg
of scientific instruments, had a two year design life, and was
placed in a 400 km altitude orbit. The US Wind spacecraft,
deployed at the earths' L1 Lagrangian Point, synchronized its
observations with Konus-A. The 1.5 million km separation between
the two spacecraft allowed improved localization of gamma ray
sources. The mission was completed in December 1995. Gross mass:
3,500 kg (7,700 lb).