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Kosmos 18
	A Zenit reentry capsule
Names	Zenit 2-11
Mission type	Optical imaging reconnaissance; Radiation
COSPAR ID	1963-018A
SATCAT no.	586
Mission duration	9 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Zenit-2
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	4730 kg
Start of mission
Launch date	24 May 1963, 10:48:00 GMT
Rocket	Vostok-2
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5
Contractor	OKB-1
End of mission
Disposal	Recovered
Landing date	2 June 1963
Landing site	Steppe in Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	196 km
Apogee altitude	288 km
Inclination	65.0°
Period	89.4 minutes
Epoch	24 May 1963
	Zenit programme; Zenit-2 ← Zenit 2-11 Zenit 2-12 → Kosmos (satellites) ← Kosmos 17 Kosmos 19 →

Kosmos 18 (Russian: Космос 18 meaning Cosmos 18) or Zenit-2 No.11 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1963. A Zenit-2 satellite, Kosmos 18 was the eleventh of eighty-one such spacecraft to be launched.^[3]^[4]

Spacecraft

Kosmos 18 was a Zenit-2 satellite, a first generation, low resolution, reconnaissance satellite derived from the Vostok spacecraft used for crewed flights, the satellites were developed by OKB-1. In addition to reconnaissance, it was also used for research into radiation in support of the Vostok programme. It had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).^[1]

Launch

The Vostok-2 rocket, serial number E15000-12,^[5] was used to launch Kosmos 18. The launch took place at 10:48:00 GMT on 24 May 1963, using Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.^[1] Following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation, along with the International Designator 1963-018A and the Satellite Catalog Number 00586.^[1]

Mission

Kosmos 18 was operated in a low Earth orbit. On 24 May 1963, it had a perigee of 196 kilometres (122 mi), an apogee of 288 kilometres (179 mi), with an inclination of 65.0°, and an orbital period of 89.4 minutes.^[2] Having spent nine days in orbit, the spacecraft was deorbited on 2 June 1963. Its return capsule descended under parachute and was recovered by the Soviet forces in the steppe in Kazakhstan.^[4] In addition to its imaging mission, Kosmos 18 was used to conduct measurements of radiation levels in low Earth orbit.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Cosmos 18: Display 1963-018A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Cosmos 18: Trajectory 1963-018A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Krebs, Gunter. "Zenit-2 (11F61)". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
^ ^a ^b Wade, Mark. "Zenit-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
^ Wade, Mark. "Vostok 8A92". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2013.