Kosmos 20
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 A Zenit reentry capsule | |
| Names | Zenit 2-13 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Optical imaging reconnaissance |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1963-040A |
| SATCAT no. | 673 |
| Mission duration | 8 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Zenit-2 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 4730 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 October 1963, 09:36:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Vostok-2 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| Contractor | OKB-1 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Recovered |
| Landing date | 26 October 1963 |
| Landing site | Steppe in Kazakhstan |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 205 km |
| Apogee altitude | 302 km |
| Inclination | 65.0° |
| Period | 89.6 minutes |
| Epoch | 18 October 1963 |
Zenit programme Zenit-2 | |
Kosmos 20 (Russian: Космос 20 meaning Cosmos 20) or Zenit-2 No.13 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1963. A Zenit-2 satellite, Kosmos 20 was the thirteenth of eighty-one such spacecraft to be launched.[3]
Kosmos 20 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]
Launch
The Vostok-2 rocket, serial number G15001-01,[4] was used to launch Kosmos 20. The launch took place at 09:36:00 GMT on 18 October 1963, using Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[5] Following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation, along with the International Designator 1963-040A and the Satellite Catalog Number 00673.
