Kosmos 2

Kosmos 2 (Russian: Космос 2 meaning Cosmos 2), also known as 1MS No.1 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 12 was a technology demonstration and a scientific research satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1962. It was the second satellite to be designated under the Kosmos system, and the first spacecraft to be launched as part of the MS programme.

This article is about the Soviet satellite. For the rocket, see Kosmos-2I.

Kosmos 2

Mission type	Technology Ionosphere
Harvard designation	1962 Iota 1
COSPAR ID	1962-009A
SATCAT no.	00269
Mission duration	501 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	1MS
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	285 kg [1]
Start of mission
Launch date	6 April 1962, 17:16:00 GMT
Rocket	Kosmos-2I 63S1
Launch site	Kapustin Yar, Mayak-2
Contractor	Yuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date	20 August 1963
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric [2]
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	215 km
Apogee altitude	1488 km
Inclination	49.0°
Period	102.5 minutes
Epoch	6 April 1962

Spacecraft

Its primary missions were to develop systems for future satellites, and to record data about cosmic rays and radiation.[3] It had a mass of 285 kg.[1]

Mission

It was launched aboard Kosmos-2I 63S1 s/n 5LK.[4] It was the fourth flight of the Kosmos-2I, and the second to successfully reach orbit. The launch was conducted from Mayak-2 at Kapustin Yar, and occurred at 17:16:00 GMT on 6 April 1962.[5] Kosmos 2 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 215 kilometres (134 mi), an apogee of 1,488 kilometres (925 mi), an inclination of 49.0°, and an orbital period of 102.5 minutes.[2] It decayed on 20 August 1963.[6]

Kosmos 2 was a 1MS satellite, the first of two to be launched.[3] The second was launched on 25 October 1962 but failed to reach orbit. The 1MS was the first of two types of MS satellite to be launched and was succeeded by the 2MS satellite.[7]

See also

• 1962 in spaceflight

References

1. "Cosmos 2: Display 1962-009A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. "Cosmos 2: Trajectory 1962-009A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
3. Wade, Mark. "1MS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
5. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
6. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
7. Wade, Mark. "MS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 23 May 2009.