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Kosmos 277
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID 1969-033A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.03855 Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type DS-P1-Yu
Manufacturer Yuzhnoye
Launch mass325 kilograms (717 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date4 April 1969, 13:00:04 (1969-04-04UTC13:00:04Z) UTC
Rocket Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site Plesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date6 July 1969 (1969-07-07)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee altitude256 kilometres (159 mi)
Apogee altitude412 kilometres (256 mi)
Inclination70.9 degrees
Period91.2 minutes
 

Kosmos 277 ( Russian: Космос 277 meaning Cosmos 277), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.20, was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1969 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. [1]

Launch

Kosmos 277 was launched from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, [2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 4 April 1969 at 13:00:04 UTC, and resulted in Kosmos 277's successful deployment into low Earth orbit. [3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1969-033A.

Kosmos 277 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 256 kilometres (159 mi), an apogee of 412 kilometres (256 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.2 minutes. [1] [4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 6 July 1969. [4] It was the twentieth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched, [1] and the nineteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit. [5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  5. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 13 August 2009.