Kosmos 426

Kosmos 426

Mission type	Magnetospheric
COSPAR ID	1971-052A
SATCAT no.	05281
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	DS-U2-K
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye
Launch mass	680 kilograms (1,500 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	4 June 1971, 18:10:00 (1971-06-04UTC18:10Z) UTC
Rocket	Kosmos-3M
Launch site	Plesetsk 132/2
End of mission
Decay date	11 May 2002 (2002-05-12)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	388 kilometres (241 mi)
Apogee altitude	1,993 kilometres (1,238 mi)
Inclination	74 degrees
Period	109.2 minutes

Kosmos 426 (Russian: Космос 426 meaning Cosmos 426), also known as DS-U2-K No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 680-kilogram (1,500 lb) spacecraft,^[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study charged particles and radiation in the Earth's magnetosphere.^[1]

Launch

A Kosmos-3M carrier rocket, with serial number 65014-101, was used to launch Kosmos 426 into low Earth orbit.^[2] The launch took place from Site 132/2 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.^[2] The launch occurred at 18:10:00 UTC on 4 June 1971, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.^[3]

Orbit

Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1971-052A.^[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 05281.

Kosmos 426 was the only DS-U2-K satellite to be launched.^[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 388 kilometres (241 mi), an apogee of 1,993 kilometres (1,238 mi), 74 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 109.2 minutes.^[6] It was operated until 12 January 1972,^[7] and subsequently remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 11 May 2002.^[6]

See also

• 1971 in spaceflight

References

1. Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-K". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
3. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
4. "Cosmos 426". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
5. Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-K". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
6. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
7. "World Civil Satellites 1957-2006". Space Security Index. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2009.