Kosmos 919

Kosmos 919 (Russian: Космос 919 meaning Cosmos 919), also known as DS-P1-I No.19 was a satellite which was used as a radar target for anti-ballistic missile tests. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1977 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1]

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[2] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 10:30 UTC on 18 June 1977.[3] It was the final flight of the Kosmos-2I carrier rocket, and the final flight of an R-12 family rocket. Kosmos launches continued using the R-14-derived Kosmos-3M. It also marked the last launch from Plesetsk Site 133/1 until it was rebuilt as Site 133/3 in 1985.

Kosmos 919 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 269 kilometres (167 mi), an apogee of 822 kilometres (511 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 95.6 minutes.[1] It decayed from orbit on 28 August 1978.[4]

Kosmos 919 was the last of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched.[1] Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  4. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  5. ^ Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.