Kosmos 959

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]

Kosmos 959

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
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.

See also

• 1977 in spaceflight

References

1. Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
2. Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
4. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 June 2009.