Kosmos 204

Kosmos 204

Mission type	ABM radar target
COSPAR ID	1968-015A
SATCAT no.	03139
Mission duration	362 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	DS-P1-I
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye
Launch mass	400 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	5 March 1968, 18:28:00 GMT
Rocket	Kosmos-2I 63SM
Launch site	Plesetsk Site 133/3
Contractor	Yuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date	2 March 1969
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric[2]
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	204 km
Apogee altitude	844 km
Inclination	70.0°
Period	95.9 minutes
Epoch	5 March 1968

Kosmos 204 (Russian: Космос 204 meaning Cosmos 204), also known as DS-P1-I No.3 was a satellite which was used as a radar target for anti-ballistic missile tests. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[3] and had a mass of 400 kilograms (880 lb).[1]

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[4] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 18:28:00 GMT on 5 March 1968.[5]

Kosmos 204 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 204 kilometres (127 mi), an apogee of 844 kilometres (524 mi), an inclination of 70.0°, and an orbital period of 95.9 minutes.[2] It decayed from orbit on 2 March 1969.[6]

Kosmos 204 was the third of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched. Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh, launched out of sequence.[7]

See also

• 1968 in spaceflight

References

1. "Cosmos 204: Display 1968-015A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. "Cosmos 204: Trajectory 1968-015A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
3. Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
5. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
6. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
7. Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.