Kosmos 400
Soviet anti-satellite weapons test target
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kosmos 400 (Russian: Космос 400 meaning Cosmos 400), also known as DS-P1-M No.3 was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for Kosmos 404, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]
| Mission type | ASAT target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1971-020A |
| SATCAT no. | 05050 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-M |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 650 kilograms (1,430 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 March 1971, 21:45:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-3M |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 132/1 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 990 kilometres (620 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 995 kilometres (618 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.8 degrees |
| Period | 105 minutes |
Launch
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 21:45:00 UTC on 18 March 1971.[4]
Orbit
Kosmos 400 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 990 kilometres (620 mi), an apogee of 995 kilometres (618 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 105 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Kosmos 404 on 4 April.[2] As of 2009, debris is still in orbit.[5]
Kosmos 400 was the third of the five original DS-P1-M satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successful. Following the five initial launches the DS-P1-M satellite was replaced with a derivative, Lira.[6]
