Kosmos 426

Kosmos 426
Mission typeMagnetospheric
COSPAR ID1971-052A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.05281Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-U2-K
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass680 kilograms (1,500 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date4 June 1971, 18:10:00 (1971-06-04UTC18:10Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch sitePlesetsk 132/2
End of mission
Decay date11 May 2002 (2002-05-12)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude388 kilometres (241 mi)
Apogee altitude1,993 kilometres (1,238 mi)
Inclination74 degrees
Period109.2 minutes

Kosmos 426 (Russian: Космос 426 meaning Cosmos 426), also known as DS-U2-K No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 680-kilogram (1,500 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study charged particles and radiation in the Earth's magnetosphere.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "DS-U2-K". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2009.