| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1973-020A |
| SATCAT no. | 06427
 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kilograms (880 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 12 April 1973, 11:49:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 11 November 1973 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 264 kilometres (164 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 470 kilometres (290 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.9 minutes |
Kosmos 553 ( Russian: Космос 553 meaning Cosmos 553), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.55, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1973 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests. [1]
Launch
Kosmos 553 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 11:49:55 UTC on 12 April 1973. [2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, [3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.
Orbit
Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1973-020A. [4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06427.
Kosmos 553 was the sixty-first of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched, [1] and the fifty-fifth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit. [5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 264 kilometres (164 mi), an apogee of 470 kilometres (290 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.9 minutes. [6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 11 November 1973. [6]
See also
References
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ "Cosmos 553". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.