Kosmos 135
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Mission type | Micrometeoroid research |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1966-112A |
| SATCAT no. | 02612 |
| Mission duration | 121 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U2-MP |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 355 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 12 December 1966 20:37:59 GMT[2] |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/1 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 12 April 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 253 km |
| Apogee altitude | 649 km |
| Inclination | 48.5° |
| Period | 93.5 minutes |
| Epoch | 12 December 1966 |
Kosmos 135 (Russian: Космос 135 meaning Cosmos 135), also known as DS-U2-MP No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1966 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 355 kilograms (783 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to investigate micrometeoroids and particles of dust in space.[3]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 135 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[4] The launch occurred at 20:37:59 GMT on 12 December 1966, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[5] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1966-112A. The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02612.[1]
Kosmos 135 was the first of two DS-U2-MP satellites to be launched, the other being Kosmos 163 (5 June 1967).[3][6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 253 kilometres (157 mi), an apogee of 649 kilometres (403 mi), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 93.5 minutes.[2] It decayed from its orbit and reentered in the atmosphere on 12 April 1967.[7]
