Kosmos 458
Soviet radar calibration satellite
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Kosmos 458 (Russian: Космос 458 meaning Cosmos 458), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.53, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.[1]
| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1971-101A |
| SATCAT no. | 05623 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kilograms (717 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 November 1971, 10:09:56 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 20 April 1972 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 266 kilometres (165 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 473 kilometres (294 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.9 minutes |
Launch
Kosmos 458 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit on 29 November 1971, with the rocket lifting off at 10:09:56 UTC.[2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.
Orbit
Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1971-101A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 05623.
Kosmos 458 was the forty-eighth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the forty-third of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 266 kilometres (165 mi), an apogee of 473 kilometres (294 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.9 minutes.[1][6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 20 April 1972.[6]
