Kosmos 261

Kosmos 261 (Russian: Космос 261 meaning Cosmos 261), also known as DS-U2-GK No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 347-kilogram (765 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the density of air in the upper atmosphere, and investigate aurorae.[1] Kosmos 261 set the way for the Intercosmos Program. Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, DDR and Bulgaria were the six Soviet Bloc countries that collaborated in the experiments on board the satellite.[2]

Kosmos 261
Mission typeAeronomy
Auroral
COSPAR ID1968-117A
SATCAT no.03624Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-U2-GK
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass347 kilograms (765 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date19 December 1968, 23:55:00 (1968-12-19UTC23:55Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date12 February 1969 (1969-02-13)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude201 kilometres (125 mi)
Apogee altitude611 kilometres (380 mi)
Inclination71 degrees
Period92.68 minutes
 

A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 261 into low Earth orbit from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[3] The launch occurred at 23:55:00 UTC on 19 December 1968, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[4] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-117A.[5] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03624.

Kosmos 261 was the first of two DS-U2-GK satellites to be launched.[1][6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 201 kilometres (125 mi), an apogee of 611 kilometres (380 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92.68 minutes.[7] It decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere on 12 February 1969.[7]

See also

References
  1. Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-GK". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  2. Janes Spaceflight Directory (1987) ISBN 0 7106-0838 1 p206
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  4. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  5. "Cosmos 261". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  6. Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-GK". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  7. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.


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