Engineering:Kosmos 261
| Mission type | Aeronomy Auroral |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-117A |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U2-GK |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 347 kilograms (765 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 December 1968, 23:55:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 12 February 1969 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 201 kilometres (125 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 611 kilometres (380 mi) |
| Inclination | 71 degrees |
| Period | 92.68 minutes |
Kosmos 261 (Russian: Космос 261 meaning Cosmos 261), also known as DS-U2-GK No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 347-kilogram (765 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the density of air in the upper atmosphere, and investigate aurorae.[1] Kosmos 261 set the way for the Intercosmos Program. Hungary, Poland , Romania, Czechoslovakia, DDR and Bulgaria were the six Soviet Bloc countries that collaborated in the experiments on board the satellite.[2]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 261 into low Earth orbit from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[3] The launch occurred at 23:55:00 UTC on 19 December 1968, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[4] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-117A.[5] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03624.
Kosmos 261 was the first of two DS-U2-GK satellites to be launched.[1][6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 201 kilometres (125 mi), an apogee of 611 kilometres (380 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92.68 minutes.[7] It decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere on 12 February 1969.[7]
See also
- 1968 in spaceflight
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-GK". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dsu2gk.htm.
- ↑ Janes Spaceflight Directory (1987) ISBN 0 7106-0838 1 p206
- ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt.
- ↑ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/kosmos2.htm.
- ↑ "Cosmos 261". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1968-117A.
- ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-GK". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ds-u2-gk.htm.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. http://www.planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt.
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