| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1972-078A |
| SATCAT no. | 06222 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kilograms (717 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 October 1972, 11:30:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 7 March 1973 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 264 kilometres (164 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 450 kilometres (280 mi) |
| Inclination | 71 degrees |
| Period | 91.7 minutes |
Kosmos 523 (Russian: Космос 523 meaning Cosmos 523), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.63, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1972 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.[1]
Kosmos 523 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 11:30:00 UTC on 5 October 1972.[2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1972-078A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06222.
Kosmos 523 was the fifty-seventh of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifty-first of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 264 kilometres (164 mi), an apogee of 450 kilometres (280 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.7 minutes.[6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 7 March 1973.[6]
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ "Cosmos 523". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.