| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1974-058A |
| SATCAT no. | 07385 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kilograms (880 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 25 July 1974, 12:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 21 February 1975 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 266 kilometres (165 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 475 kilometres (295 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 92 minutes |
Kosmos 668 (Russian: Космос 668 meaning Cosmos 668), also known as DS-P1-Yu No.74, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1974 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.[1]
The launch of Kosmos 668 took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. It occurred at 12:00 UTC on 25 July 1974, and resulted in the satellite successfully reaching low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1974-058A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 07385.
Kosmos 668 was the seventy-first of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the sixty-fourth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 266 kilometres (165 mi), an apogee of 475 kilometres (295 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92 minutes.[6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 21 February 1975.[6]
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ "Cosmos 668". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 1 September 2009.