| Major contractors | Yuzhnoye |
|---|---|
| Bus | DS-U3-S |
| Mission type | Solar |
| Launch date | 16 June 1967 04:43:59 GMT |
| Carrier rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar Site 86/1 |
| Orbital decay | 25 October 1967 |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-061A |
| Mass | 285 kilograms (630 lb)[1] |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 48.4° |
| Apoapsis | 534 kilometres (332 mi) |
| Periapsis | 277 kilometres (172 mi) |
| Orbital period | 92.7 minutes |
Kosmos 166 (Russian: Космос 166 meaning Cosmos 166), also known as DS-U3-S #1, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 285-kilogram (630 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.[2]
Kosmos 166 was launched from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar, aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.[3] The launch occurred at 04:43:59 GMT on 16 June 1967, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into a low Earth orbit.[4] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1967-061A.[5] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02848.
Kosmos 166 was the first of two DS-U3-S satellites to be launched,[2] the other being Kosmos 230.[6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 277 kilometres (172 mi), an apogee of 534 kilometres (332 mi), 48.4 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92.7 minutes.[7] It completed operations on 26 September 1967,[1] before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 25 October.[7]