| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1971-044A |
| SATCATno. | 05232 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kilograms (717 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 May 1971, 10:20:00 (1971-05-19UTC10:20Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 8 November 1971 (1971-11-09) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 266 kilometres (165 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 445 kilometres (277 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.65 minutes |
Kosmos 421 (Russian:Космос 421 meaningCosmos 421), known before launch asDS-P1-Yu No.48, was aSovietsatellite which was launched in 1971 as part of theDnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by theYuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target foranti-ballistic missile tests.[1]
Kosmos 421 was successfully launched intolow Earth orbit on 19 May 1971, with the rocket lifting-off at 10:20:00 UTC.[2] The launch took place fromSite 133/1 at thePlesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used aKosmos-2I 63SMcarrier rocket.
Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned itsKosmos designation, and received theInternational Designator 1971-044A.[4]
Kosmos 421 was the forty-second of seventy nineDS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the thirty-eighth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with aperigee of 266 kilometres (165 mi), anapogee of 445 kilometres (277 mi), 70.9 degrees ofinclination, and anorbital period of 91.65 minutes.[1][6] It remained in orbit until itdecayed and reentered the atmosphere on 8 November 1971.[6]
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