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 | UTC
Rocket | Kosmos-3M |
Launch site | Plesetsk 132/2 |
End of mission | |
Decay date | 11 May 2002 |
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]
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]
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]