Kosmos 142

Kosmos 142
Mission type Ionospheric
COSPAR ID 1967-013A
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type DS-U2-I
Manufacturer Yuzhnoye
Launch mass 286 kilograms (631 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date 14 February 1967, 10:04:55 UTC
Rocket Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site Kapustin Yar 86/1
End of mission
Decay date 6 July 1967
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 206 kilometres (128 mi)
Apogee 1,186 kilometres (737 mi)
Inclination 48.4 degrees
Period 98.6 minutes

Kosmos 142 (Russian: Космос 142 meaning Cosmos 142), also known as DS-U2-I No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 286-kilogram (631 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the effects on radio waves of passing through the ionosphere.[2]

A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 142 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[3] The launch occurred at 10:04:55 UTC on 14 February 1967, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[4] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1967-013A.[5] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02678.

Kosmos 142 was the second of three DS-U2-I satellites to be launched.[2][6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 206 kilometres (128 mi), an apogee of 1,186 kilometres (737 mi), 48.4 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 98.7 minutes.[7] On 6 July 1967, it decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "World Civil Satellites 1957-2006". Space Security Index. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  4. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  5. "Cosmos 142". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  6. Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-I". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  7. 7.0 7.1 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-12-23.