Kosmos 558 (Russian: Космос 558 meaning Cosmos 558), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.65, was a Soviet satellite, which was launched in 1973 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]

Kosmos 558
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID1973-029A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.06645Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-Yu
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass400 kilograms (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date17 May 1973, 13:19:58 (1973-05-17UTC13:19:58Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date22 December 1973 (1973-12-23)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude264 kilometres (164 mi)
Apogee altitude477 kilometres (296 mi)
Inclination70.9 degrees
Period92 minutes
 

Launch edit

Kosmos 558 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 13:19:58 UTC on 17 May 1973.[2] The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.

Orbit edit

Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation and received the International Designator 1973-029A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06645.

Kosmos 558 was the sixty-second of seventy-nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifty-sixth 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 477 kilometres (296 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 22 December 1973.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-Yu". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Cosmos 558". NSSDC Master Catalog. US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  5. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "DS-P1-Yu (11F618)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  6. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2009.