Kosmos 303

Kosmos 303

Mission type	ABM radar target
COSPAR ID	1969-090A
SATCAT no.	04136
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	DS-P1-Yu
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye
Launch mass	325 kilograms (717 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	18 October 1969, 10:00:03 (1969-10-18UTC10:00:03Z) UTC
Rocket	Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site	Plesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date	23 January 1970 (1970-01-24)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	259 kilometres (161 mi)
Apogee altitude	426 kilometres (265 mi)
Inclination	71 degrees
Period	91.4 minutes

Kosmos 303 (Russian: Космос 303 meaning Cosmos 303), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.28, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1969 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 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 303 was launched from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,^[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 18 October 1969 at 10:00:03 UTC, and resulted in the successful deployment of Kosmos 303 into low Earth orbit.^[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1969-090A.

Kosmos 303 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 259 kilometres (161 mi), an apogee of 426 kilometres (265 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.4 minutes.^[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 23 January 1970.^[4] It was the twenty-fifth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,^[1] and the twenty-third of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.^[5]

See also

• 1969 in spaceflight

References

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