Kosmos 233

Kosmos 233
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID1968-061A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.03326
Mission duration204 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-Yu
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass325 kg
Start of mission
Launch date18 July 1968, 19:59:50 GMT
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk, Site 133/3
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date7 February 1969
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude198 km
Apogee altitude1514 km
Inclination82.0°
Period102.1 minutes
Epoch18 July 1968

Kosmos 233 (Russian: Космос 233 meaning Cosmos 233), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.15, was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1] It had a mass of 325 kilograms (717 lb).[1]

Kosmos 233 was launched from Site 133/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 18 July 1968 at 19:59:50 UTC, and resulted in Kosmos 233's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-061A.

Kosmos 233 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 198 kilometres (123 mi), an apogee of 1,514 kilometres (941 mi), an inclination of 82.0°, and an orbital period of 102.1 minutes.[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 7 February 1969.[4] It was the fifteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fourteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  5. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 11 August 2009.


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