Kosmos 909
Soviet anti-satellite target test satellite
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Kosmos 909 (Russian: Космос 909 meaning Cosmos 909) was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1977 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for Kosmos 910 and Kosmos 918, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]
| Mission type | ASAT target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1977-036A |
| SATCAT no. | 10010 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Lira |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 650 kilograms (1,430 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 May 1977, 16:30 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-3M |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 132/2 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 985 kilometres (612 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 2,111 kilometres (1,312 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.9 degrees |
| Period | 117 minutes |
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/2 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 16:30 UTC on 19 May 1977.[4]
Kosmos 909 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 985 kilometres (612 mi), an apogee of 2,111 kilometres (1,312 mi), 65.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 117 minutes.[1] Attempted interceptions by Kosmos 910 and 918 on 23 May and 17 June respectively failed, and as of 2009 Kosmos 909 remains in orbit.[2][5]
Kosmos 909 was the fifth of ten Lira satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successful. Lira was derived from the earlier DS-P1-M satellite, which it replaced.
