Kosmos 400 (Russian: Космос 400 meaning Cosmos 400), also known as DS-P1-M No.3 was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for Kosmos 404, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]
Launch
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 21:45:00 UTC on 18 March 1971.[4]
Orbit
Kosmos 400 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 990 kilometres (620 mi), an apogee of 995 kilometres (618 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 105 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Kosmos 404 on 4 April.[2] As of 2009, debris is still in orbit.[5]
Kosmos 400 was the third of the five original DS-P1-M satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successful. Following the five initial launches the DS-P1-M satellite was replaced with a derivative, Lira.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.