| Major contractors | Yuzhnoye |
|---|---|
| Bus | DS-U2-MG |
| Mission type | Magnetospheric |
| Launch date | 20 January 1970 20:19:59 GMT |
| Carrier rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
| Orbital decay | 23 March 1970 |
| COSPAR ID | 1970-006A |
| Mass | 365 kilograms (800 lb)[1] |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 70.9° |
| Apoapsis | 417 kilometres (259 mi) |
| Periapsis | 259 kilometres (161 mi) |
| Orbital period | 91.3 minutes |
Kosmos 321 (Russian: Космос 321 meaning Cosmos 321), also known as DS-U2-MG #1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1970 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 365-kilogram (800 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate the magnetic poles of the Earth.[1]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 321 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch occurred at 20:19:59 GMT on 20 January 1970, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1970-006A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 04308.
Kosmos 321 was the first of two DS-U2-MG satellites to be launched, the other being Kosmos 356.[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 259 kilometres (161 mi), an apogee of 417 kilometres (259 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.3 minutes.[6] It completed operations on 13 March 1970,[7] before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 23 March.[6]