Kosmos 119

Kosmos 119
Mission typeIonospheric
COSPAR ID1966-043A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.02182
Mission duration100 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-U2-I
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass250 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date24 May 1966, 05:30:59 GMT
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch siteKapustin Yar, Site 86/1
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date30 November 1966
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric[2]
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude208 km
Apogee altitude1292 km
Inclination48.5°
Period99.8 minutes
Epoch24 May 1966

Kosmos 119 (Russian: Космос 119 meaning Cosmos 119), also known as DS-U2-I No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1966 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 250 kilograms (550 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the effects on radio waves of passing through the ionosphere.[3]

A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 119 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[4] The launch occurred at 05:30:59 GMT on 24 May 1966, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[5] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1966-043A. The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02182.[1]

Kosmos 119 was the first of three DS-U2-I satellites to be launched.[6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 208 kilometres (129 mi), an apogee of 1,292 kilometres (803 mi), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 99.8 minutes.[2] On 30 November 1966, it decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Cosmos 119: Display 1966-043A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b "Cosmos 119: Trajectory 1966-043A". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-I". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  4. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  5. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  6. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U2-I". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  7. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 December 2009.