| Mission type | ABM radar target Technology |
|---|---|
| Harvard designation | 1962 Alpha Delta 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1962-028A |
| SATCATno. | 00338 |
| Mission duration | 39 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1 |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 355 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 June 1962, 16:00:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63S1 |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar,Mayak-2 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 8 August 1962 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 264 km |
| Apogee altitude | 344 km |
| Inclination | 49.0° |
| Period | 90.6 minutes |
| Epoch | 30 June 1962 |
Kosmos 6 (Russian:Космос 6 meaningCosmos 6), also known asDS-P1 No.1 as part of theDnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme[1] and occasionally in the West asSputnik 16 was a prototype radar targetsatellite foranti-ballistic missile tests, which was launched by theSoviet Union in 1962.
It was the sixth satellite to be designated under theKosmos system, and the second spacecraft launched as part of theDS programme to successfully reach orbit, afterKosmos 1. It had a mass of 355 kilograms (783 lb).[1] Its primary mission was to demonstrate the necessary technologies for radar tracking of spacecraft, which would allow future satellites to function as targets. It was the firstsolar-powered satellite manufactured byYuzhnoye.[3]
It was launched aboard the seventh flight of theKosmos-2I 63S1 rocket.[4] The launch was conducted fromMayak-2 atKapustin Yar, and occurred at 16:00:00GMT on 30 June 1962.[5] Kosmos 6 was placed into alow Earth orbit with aperigee of 264 kilometres (164 mi), anapogee of 344 kilometres (214 mi), aninclination of 49.0°, and anorbital period of 90.6 minutes.[2] Itdecayed on 8 August 1962.[2]
Kosmos 6 was a prototype DS-P1 satellite, the first of four to be launched.[3] Of the other three satellites, one was lost in a launch failure on 6 April 1963, and the remaining two successfully reached orbit asKosmos 19 andKosmos 25.[6]
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