Kosmos 215 (Russian: Космос 215 meaning Cosmos 215), also known as DS-U1-A No.1, was a Sovietsatellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 385-kilogram (849 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study radiation and conduct optical observations of the atmosphere of the Earth. It was equipped with eight telescopes,[1][2] including one for ultraviolet astronomy.[3] It was primarily used to study the Sun, although several other X-ray emissions were detected.
Kosmos 215 performed ultraviolet photometry of 36 A and B stars from parallel telescopes and two UV photometers with maximum responses at 274.0 and 227.5 nanometres.[8] Its X-ray telescope was used to measure radiation between 0.05 and 0.5 nanometres.[2]
Kosmos 215 was the only DS-U1-A satellite to be launched,[9] and the fourth DS-U1 across all variants. It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 255 kilometres (158 mi), an apogee of 403 kilometres (250 mi), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 91.1 minutes.[10] It completed operations on 6 June 1968.[11] On 30 June 1968, it decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.[10]
^McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
^Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
^"Cosmos 215". This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).
