| Major contractors | Yuzhnoye |
|---|---|
| Bus | DS-P1-Yu |
| Mission type | ABM radar target |
| Launch date | 7 February 1969 13:59 GMT |
| Carrier rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Site 133/1 |
| Orbital decay | 1 May 1969 |
| COSPAR ID | 1969-012A |
| Mass | 325 kilograms (720 lb) |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 70.9° |
| Apoapsis | 413 kilometres (257 mi) |
| Periapsis | 261 kilometres (162 mi) |
| Orbital period | 91.3 minutes |
Kosmos 265 (Russian: Космос 265 meaning Cosmos 265), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu #21, 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 1969 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1] It had a mass of 325 kilograms (720 lb).[1]
Kosmos 265 was launched from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 7 February 1969 at 13:59 GMT, and resulted in Kosmos 265's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1969-012A.
Kosmos 265 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 261 kilometres (162 mi), an apogee of 413 kilometres (257 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.3 minutes.[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 1 May 1969.[4] It was the eighteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the seventeenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]