| Mission type | Military technology Micrometeorite |
|---|---|
| Harvard designation | 1962 Alpha Xi 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1962-038A |
| SATCAT no. | 00367 |
| Mission duration | 364 jours |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-K-8 |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 337 kg[1] |
| Power | Batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 August 1962 05:02:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63S1 |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Mayak-2 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 17 August 1963 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 251 km |
| Apogee altitude | 591 km |
| Inclination | 49.0° |
| Period | 92.9 minutes |
| Epoch | 18 August 1962 |
Kosmos 8 (Russian: Космос 8 meaning Cosmos 8), also known as DS-K-8 No.1 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 18 was a technology demonstration satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1962. It was the eighth satellite to be designated under the Kosmos system, and the third spacecraft launched as part of the DS programme to successfully reach orbit, after Kosmos 1 and Kosmos 6. Its primary mission was to demonstrate the technologies of SIGINT for future Soviet military satellites.