Kosmos 15
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NamesZenit 2-9
Mission typeOptical imaging reconnaissance
Radiation
Meteorology
Radiation
Meteorology
OperatorSoviet space program
 A Zenit reentry capsule | |
| Names | Zenit 2-9 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Optical imaging reconnaissance Radiation Meteorology |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1963-011A |
| SATCAT no. | 569 |
| Mission duration | 5 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Zenit-2 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 4730 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 22 April 1963, 08:24:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Vostok-2 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| Contractor | OKB-1 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Recovered |
| Landing date | 27 April 1963 |
| Landing site | Steppe in Kazakhstan |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 160 km |
| Apogee altitude | 358 km |
| Inclination | 65.0° |
| Period | 89.8 minutes |
| Epoch | 22 April 1963 |
Zenit programme Zenit-2 | |
Kosmos 15 (Russian: Космос 15 meaning Cosmos 15) or Zenit-2 No.9 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1963. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 15 was the ninth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched.[3][4]
Kosmos 15 was a Zenit-2 satellite, a first generation, low resolution, reconnaissance satellite derived from the Vostok spacecraft used for crewed flights, the satellites were developed by OKB-1. In addition to reconnaissance, it was also used for research into radiation in support of the Vostok programme. It had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).[1]
