Kosmos 17 (Russian: Космос 17 meaning Cosmos 17), also known as DS-A1 No.2 was a technology demonstration satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1963. It was launched as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. Its primary mission was to demonstrate technologies for future Soviet military satellites. It also conducted radiation experiments.[3]

Kosmos 17
Mission typeTechnology
Radiation
COSPAR ID1963-017A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.00580
Mission duration741 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-A1
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass322 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date22 May 1963, 03:07:00 GMT[2]
RocketKosmos-2I 63S1
Launch siteKapustin Yar, Mayak-2
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date2 June 1965
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric[2]
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude260 km
Apogee altitude788 km
Inclination49.0°
Period94.8 minutes
Epoch22 May 1963

Spacecraft

edit

The DS-A1 satellites were developed by Yuzhnoye to test the techniques and equipment for communication and navigation systems and performed radiation measurements. It had a mass of 322 kilograms (710 lb).[1]

Launch

edit

Kosmos 17 was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63S1 rocket, flying from pad 2 of the Mayak-2 at Kapustin Yar. The launch occurred at 03:07:00 GMT on 22 May 1963.[2]

Mission

edit

Kosmos 17 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 260 kilometres (160 mi), an apogee of 788 kilometres (490 mi), 49.0° of inclination, and an orbital period of 94.8 minutes.[2] It decayed on 2 June 1965.[4] Kosmos 17 was the second of seven DS-A1 satellites to be launched.[3] The previous DS-A1 was Kosmos 11. The next two DS-A1 launches failed (22 August 1963 and 24 October 1963), before Kosmos 53 successfully reached orbit on 30 January 1965.[5] The technological experiments aboard Kosmos 17 were tests of communications and navigation systems which were later used on the GLONASS system.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Cosmos 17: Display 1963-017A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cosmos 17: Trajectory 1963-017A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-A1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  4. ^ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1963-017A - 27 February 2020
  5. ^ Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.