Engineering:Kosmos 163

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Kosmos 163
Mission typeMicrometeoroid research
COSPAR ID1967-056A
SATCAT no.02832
Mission duration128 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-U2-MP
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass357 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date5 June 1967, 05:03:00 GMT
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch siteKapustin Yar, Site 86/1
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date11 October 1967
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric[2]
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude244 km
Apogee altitude611 km
Inclination48.4°
Period93.1 minutes
Epoch5 June 1967
 

Kosmos 163 (Russian: Космос 163 meaning Cosmos 163), also known as DS-U2-MP No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 357 kilograms (787 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to investigate micrometeoroids and cosmic dust particles in near-Earth space.[3]

A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 163 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[4] The launch occurred at 05:03:00 GMT on 5 June 1967, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[5] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1967-056A.[1] The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02832.[1]

Kosmos 163 was the second of two DS-U2-MP satellites to be launched, after Kosmos 135.[5][6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 244 kilometres (152 mi), an apogee of 611 kilometres (380 mi), an inclination of 48.4°, and an orbital period of 93.1 minutes.[2] It decayed from its orbit and reentered the atmosphere on 11 October 1967.[7]

See also

  • 1967 in spaceflight

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Cosmos 163: Display 1967-056A". NASA. 27 February 2020. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1967-056A.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Cosmos 163: Trajectory 1967-056A". NASA. 27 February 2020. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1967-056A.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-MP". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dsu2mp.htm. 
  4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/kosmos2.htm. 
  6. Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-MP". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ds-u2-mp.htm. 
  7. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. http://www.planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt.