Kosmos 459

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Kosmos 459
Mission typeASAT target
COSPAR ID1971-102A
SATCAT no.05625Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass650 kilograms (1,430 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date29 November 1971, 17:30:00 (1971-11-29UTC17:30Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch sitePlesetsk 132/1
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude199 kilometres (124 mi)
Apogee altitude286 kilometres (178 mi)
Inclination65 degrees
Period89.4 minutes
 

Kosmos 459 (Russian: Космос 459 meaning Cosmos 459), also known as DS-P1-M No.5 was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for , as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.[2]

Launch[]

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 17:30:00 UTC on 29 November 1971.[4]

Orbit[]

Kosmos 459 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 199 kilometres (124 mi), an apogee of 286 kilometres (178 mi), 65 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 89.4 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Kosmos 462. Two major pieces of debris were associated with the satellite, which decayed from orbit on 1 and 7 December 1971.[2][5]

Kosmos 459 was the fourth of the five original satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the successfully reached orbit. After the five initial launches the DS-P1-M satellite was replaced with a derivative, . The interception of Kosmos 459 was the last completed test of the IS-A interceptor as part of Soviet state trials, and the last attempt to intercept a baseline DS-P1-M satellite as no attempt was made to intercept Kosmos 521. Following the test, the IS-A anti-satellite system was declared operational.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  2. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  4. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  6. ^ Wade, Mark. "DS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.


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