Kosmos program
Kosmos is a designation given to a large number
of satellites operated by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia.
Kosmos 1, the first spacecraft to be given a Kosmos designation,
was launched on March 16, 1962.
As of September 2010, 2,468 Kosmos satellites
had been launched. The spacecraft do not form a single programme,
but instead consist of almost all Soviet and Russian military
satellites, as well as a number of scientific satellites, and
spacecraft which failed during or immediately after launch, but
still reached orbit. Control systems for 152 spacecraft which were
later assigned Kosmos designations were developed and manufactured
by NPO Electropribor (Kharkiv).
The designation is given only to satellites
which are in Earth orbit. Typically, Soviet Lunar and planetary
missions were initially put into an low Earth parking orbit along
with an upper stage, which would later burn for around four minutes
to place the spacecraft into a cislunar or a heliocentric orbit. If
the engine misfired or the burn was not completed, the probes which
would be left in Earth orbit would be given a Kosmos
designation.
Most Soviet and subsequently Russian military
satellites were given Kosmos designations. Spacecraft include
optical reconnaissance satellites, communications satellites, early
warning missile defence spacecraft, nuclear-powered radar
reconnaissance satellites, anti-satellite weapons and their
targets, navigation satellites and technology demonstrators. Some
scientific spacecraft such as Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik, Bion and
Meteor satellites were also given Kosmos designations.
Kosmos 1
Kosmos 1, also known as Sputnik 11, was launched
on March 16, 1962 at 12:00:00 UTC. Orbital mass 285 kg. It was the
first satellite of the Soviet Earth Satellite series. Employed
radio instruments in order to study the structure of the
ionosphere.
Kosmos 2
Kosmos 2, also known as Sputnik 12, was launched
on April 6, 1962 at 17:16:00 UTC. Orbital mass 285 kg. It was the
second satellite of the Soviet Earth Satellite series. Employed
radio instruments in order to study the structure of the
ionosphere.
Kosmos 3
Kosmos 3, also known as Sputnik 13, was launched
on April 24, 1962 at 04:04:00 UTC. Orbital mass 330 kg. It belongs
to the Soviet Earth Satellite series. It was used to study the
upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer space. Data was
relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with
space-borne memory units.
Kosmos 4
Kosmos 4, also known as Sputnik 14, was launched
on April 26, 1962 at 10:04:00 UTC. Orbital mass 4600 kg. It was
used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the
outer space. It was developed to measure radiation before and after
nuclear tests conducted during the US project Starfish. Data was
relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry systems equipped with
space-borne memory units.
Kosmos 5
Kosmos 5, also known as Sputnik 15, was launched
on May 28, 1962 at 03:07:00 UTC. Orbital mass 280 kg. It was used
to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer
space. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry
systems equipped with space-borne memory units.
Kosmos 6
Kosmos 6, also known as Sputnik 16, was launched
on June 30, 1962 at 16:04:00 UTC from Kapustin Yar. Orbital mass
355 kg. It was a Soviet DS (Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik) type military
satellite built in Ukraine for launch by Kosmos launch vehicles. It
was used for military and scientific research and component proving
tests.
Kosmos 7
Kosmos 7, also known as Sputnik 17, was launched
on July 28, 1962 at 09:21:00 UTC. Orbital mass 4600 kg. It was used
to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, Earth and the outer
space. Data was relayed to Earth by a multichannel telemetry
systems equipped with space-borne memory units. It was used to
measure radiation in the space environment in order to guarantee
safety during the flight of the Vostok 3 and Vostok 4
spacecrafts.
Kosmos 8
Kosmos 8, also known as Sputnik 18, was launched
on August 18, 1962 at 05:02:00 UTC from Kapustin Yar. Orbital mass
337 kg. It was a Soviet DS (Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik) type military
satellite built in Ukraine for launch by Kosmos launch vehicles. It
was used for military and scientific research and component proving
tests.
Kosmos 600 and Kosmos 605
Bion 1 was a Bion satellite. It carried several
dozen rats, six boxes of tortoises, a mushroom bed, four beetles,
and living bacterial spores. It provided data on the reaction of
mammal, reptile, insect, fungal, and bacterial forms to prolonged
weightlessness.
NSSDC ID 1973-083A
Launch Date/Time
1973-10-31 at 18:25:00 UTC
On-orbit Dry Mass
5500 kg
Launch Date/Time
1973-10-31 at 18:25:00 UTC
Launch Site/Country
Plesetsk, USSR
Vehicle
Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation (Longer) Upper
Stage
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