Kosmos 230 (Russian: Космос 230 meaning Cosmos 230), also known as DS-U3-S No.2, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.[1]

Kosmos 230
Mission typeSolar imaging
COSPAR ID1968-056A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.03308
Mission duration120 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-U3-S
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass400 kg
Start of mission
Launch date5 July 1968, 06:59:50 GMT
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch siteKapustin Yar, Site 86/4
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date2 November 1968
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude285 km
Apogee altitude543 km
Inclination48.5°
Period93.0 minutes
Epoch5 July 1968

Kosmos 230 was launched from Site 86/4 at Kapustin Yar, aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.[2] The launch occurred at 06:59:50 UTC on 5 July 1968, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into a low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-056A.[4] The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03308.

Kosmos 230 was the second of two DS-U3-S satellites to be launched, after Kosmos 166.[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 285 kilometres (177 mi), an apogee of 543 kilometres (337 mi), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 93.0 minutes, until decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 2 November 1968.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-U3-S". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  4. ^ "Cosmos 230". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  5. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U3-S". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  6. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.