Kosmos 959
Soviet anti-satellite test target satellite
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Kosmos 959 (Russian: Космос 959 meaning Cosmos 959) 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 961, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]
| Mission type | ASAT target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1977-101A |
| SATCAT no. | 10419 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Lira |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 650 kilograms (1,430 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 October 1977, 10:05 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-3M |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 132/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 30 November 1977 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 146 kilometres (91 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 850 kilometres (530 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.8 degrees |
| Period | 94.6 minutes |
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 10:05 UTC on 21 October 1977.[4]
Kosmos 959 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 146 kilometres (91 mi), an apogee of 850 kilometres (530 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 94.6 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted by Kosmos 961, as part of a non-destructive test. Following this, it decayed from orbit on 30 November 1977.[2][5]
Kosmos 959 was the sixth 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.
