| Major contractors | Yuzhnoye |
|---|---|
| Bus | DS-P1-Yu |
| Mission type | ABM radar target |
| Launch date | 24 August 1967 04:59:49 GMT |
| Carrier rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
| Orbital decay | 17 December 1967 |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-081A |
| Mass | 325 kilograms (720 lb) |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 71.0° |
| Apoapsis | 471 kilometres (293 mi) |
| Periapsis | 261 kilometres (162 mi) |
| Orbital period | 91.86 minutes |
Kosmos 173 (Russian: Космос 173 meaning Cosmos 173), also known as DS-P1-Yu #8 was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 173 from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch occurred at 04:59:49 GMT on 24 August 1967, and resulted in Kosmos 173's successful deployment into low earth orbit.[3]
Kosmos 173 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 261 kilometres (162 mi), an apogee of 471 kilometres (293 mi), 71.0 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.86 minutes.[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 17 December 1967.[4] It was the ninth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the eighth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]