Kosmos 521

Kosmos 521 (Russian: Космос 521 meaning Cosmos 521), also known as DS-P1-M No.4 is a satellite which was intended for use as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and was to have been used as a target for an IS-A interceptor, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme. A malfunction aboard the satellite rendered it useless, and the interceptor was not launched.[2]

Kosmos 521
Mission typeASAT target
COSPAR ID1972-074A
SATCAT no.06206
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-M
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass650 kilograms (1,430 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date29 September 1972, 20:18:59 (1972-09-29UTC20:18:59Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch sitePlesetsk 132/2
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude987 kilometres (613 mi)
Apogee altitude992 kilometres (616 mi)
Inclination65.8 degrees
Period104.9 minutes
 

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/2 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 20:18:59 UTC on 29 September 1972.[4]

Kosmos 521 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 987 kilometres (613 mi), an apogee of 992 kilometres (616 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 104.9 minutes.[1] No attempt to intercept the satellite was made after its onboard telemetry system malfunctioned. As of 2009, it is still in orbit.[2][5] Western analysts did not identify Kosmos 521 as being associated with the Soviet ASAT programme until records were declassified.

Kosmos 521 was the last of the five original DS-P1-M satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successfully reached orbit. Despite its successful launch, the satellite malfunctioned shortly after reaching orbit, and was unusable. Subsequent launches used a modified version of the DS-P1-M, known as Lira.[6]

See also

References

  1. Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  2. Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  4. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  6. Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.