Kosmos 259

Kosmos 259

Mission type	Ionospheric
COSPAR ID	1968-113A
SATCAT no.	03612
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	DS-U2-I
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye
Launch mass	325 kilograms (717 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	14 December 1968, 05:09:54 (1968-12-14UTC05:09:54Z) UTC
Rocket	Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site	Kapustin Yar 86/4
End of mission
Decay date	5 May 1969 (1969-05-06)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	212 kilometres (132 mi)
Apogee altitude	1,210 kilometres (750 mi)
Inclination	48.4 degrees
Period	99 minutes

Kosmos 259 (Russian: Космос 259 meaning Cosmos 259), also known as DS-U2-I No.3, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft,^[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the effects on radio waves of passing through the ionosphere.^[1]

A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 259 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/4 at Kapustin Yar.^[2] The launch occurred at 05:09:54 UTC on 14 December 1968, 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 1968-113A.^[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03612.

Kosmos 259 was the third and final DS-U2-I satellite to be launched.^[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 212 kilometres (132 mi), an apogee of 1,210 kilometres (750 mi), 48.4 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 99 minutes.^[6] On 5 May 1969, it decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.^[6]

See also

• 1968 in spaceflight

References

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