Kosmos 545
Soviet radar calibration satellite
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Kosmos 545 (Russian: Космос 545 meaning Cosmos 545), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.62, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1973 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 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 | 1973-004A |
| SATCAT no. | 06348 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kilograms (880 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 January 1973, 11:44:50 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 31 July 1973 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 256 kilometres (159 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 477 kilometres (296 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.9 minutes |
Launch
Kosmos 545 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 11:44:50 UTC on 24 January 1973.[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, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1973-004A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06348.
Kosmos 545 was the sixtieth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifty-fourth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 256 kilometres (159 mi), an apogee of 477 kilometres (296 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.9 minutes.[6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 31 July 1973.[6]
