Kosmos 615

Kosmos 615
Mission type ABM radar target
COSPAR ID 1973-099A
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type DS-P1-I
Manufacturer Yuzhnoye
Launch mass 400 kilograms (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 13 December 1973, 11:10:03 (1973-12-13UTC11:10:03Z) UTC
Rocket Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site Plesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date 17 December 1975 (1975-12-18)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 270 kilometres (170 mi)
Apogee 834 kilometres (518 mi)
Inclination 71 degrees
Period 95.7 minutes

Kosmos 615 (Russian: Космос 615 meaning Cosmos 615), also known as DS-P1-I No.13 was a satellite which was used as a radar target for anti-ballistic missile tests. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1973 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1]

Launch

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[2] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 11:10:03 UTC on 13 December 1973.[3]

Orbit

Kosmos 615 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 270 kilometres (170 mi), an apogee of 834 kilometres (518 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 95.7 minutes.[1] It decayed from orbit on 17 December 1975.[4]

Kosmos 615 was the thirteenth of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched.[1] Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  3. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  5. Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
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