| Mission type | Solar imaging |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-056A |
| SATCAT no. | 03308 |
| Mission duration | 120 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U3-S |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 July 1968, 06:59:50 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/4 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 2 November 1968 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 285 km |
| Apogee altitude | 543 km |
| Inclination | 48.5° |
| Period | 93.0 minutes |
| Epoch | 5 July 1968 |
Kosmos 230 (Russian: Космос 230 meaning Cosmos 230), also known as DS-U3-S No.2, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.[1]
Kosmos 230 was launched from Site 86/4 at Kapustin Yar, aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.[2] The launch occurred at 06:59:50 UTC on 5 July 1968, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into a low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-056A.[4] The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03308.
Kosmos 230 was the second of two DS-U3-S satellites to be launched, after Kosmos 166.[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 285 kilometres (177 mi), an apogee of 543 kilometres (337 mi), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 93.0 minutes, until decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 2 November 1968.[6]
- ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-U3-S". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Cosmos 230". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-U3-S". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 December 2009.