Kosmos 400

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Kosmos 400
Mission typeASAT target
COSPAR ID1971-020A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.05050Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-M
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass650 kilograms (1,430 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date18 March 1971, 21:45:00 (1971-03-18UTC21:45Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch sitePlesetsk 132/1
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude990 kilometres (620 mi)
Apogee altitude995 kilometres (618 mi)
Inclination65.8 degrees
Period105 minutes
 

Kosmos 400 (Russian: Космос 400 meaning Cosmos 400), also known as DS-P1-M No.3 was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for Kosmos 404, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]

Launch[edit]

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 21:45:00 UTC on 18 March 1971.[4]

Orbit[edit]

Kosmos 400 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 990 kilometres (620 mi), an apogee of 995 kilometres (618 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 105 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Kosmos 404 on 4 April.[2] As of 2009, debris is still in orbit.[5]

Kosmos 400 was the third of the five original DS-P1-M satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successful. Following the five initial launches the DS-P1-M satellite was replaced with a derivative, Lira.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  2. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  4. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  6. ^ Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.