Kosmos 553

Kosmos 553 (Russian: Космос 553 meaning Cosmos 553), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.55, 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 553
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID1973-020A
SATCAT no.06427
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-Yu
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass400 kilograms (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date12 April 1973, 11:49:55 (1973-04-12UTC11:49:55Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date11 November 1973 (1973-11-12)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude264 kilometres (164 mi)
Apogee altitude470 kilometres (290 mi)
Inclination70.9 degrees
Period91.9 minutes
 

Launch

Kosmos 553 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 11:49:55 UTC on 12 April 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 1973-020A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06427.

Kosmos 553 was the sixty-first of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifty-fifth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 264 kilometres (164 mi), an apogee of 470 kilometres (290 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 11 November 1973.[6]

See also

References
  1. Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  2. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  4. "Cosmos 553". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  5. Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  6. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.

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