Kosmos 601 (Russian: Космос 601 meaning Cosmos 601), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.60, 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]

Kosmos 601
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID1973-075A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.06875Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-Yu
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass400 kilograms (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date16 October 1973, 14:00:01 (1973-10-16UTC14:00:01Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date15 August 1974 (1974-08-16)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude197 kilometres (122 mi)
Apogee altitude1,404 kilometres (872 mi)
Inclination81.8 degrees
Period100.9 minutes

Launch

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Kosmos 601 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 14:00:01 UTC on 16 October 1973.[2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.

Orbit

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Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1973-075A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06875.

Kosmos 601 was the sixty-fifth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifty-ninth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 197 kilometres (122 mi), an apogee of 1,404 kilometres (872 mi), 81.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 100.9 minutes.[6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 15 August 1974.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Cosmos 601". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  5. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  6. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.