Kosmos 421 (Russian: Космос 421 meaning Cosmos 421), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.48, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1971 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 421 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit on 19 May 1971, with the rocket lifting-off at 10:20:00 UTC.[2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.
Orbit
Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1971-044A.[4]
Kosmos 421 was the forty-second of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the thirty-eighth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 266 kilometres (165 mi), an apogee of 445 kilometres (277 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.65 minutes.[1][6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 8 November 1971.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Cosmos 421". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
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