Kosmos 967

Kosmos 967 (Russian: Космос 967 meaning Cosmos 967) is a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1977 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme,[1] and used as a target for Kosmos 970 and Kosmos 1009, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnik programme.[2]

Kosmos 967
Mission typeASAT target
COSPAR ID1977-116A
SATCAT no.10512
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeLira
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass650 kilograms (1,430 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date13 December 1977, 15:53 (1977-12-13UTC15:53Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch sitePlesetsk 132/1
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude961 kilometres (597 mi)
Apogee altitude1,003 kilometres (623 mi)
Inclination65.8 degrees
Period104.7 minutes
 

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket,[3] from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 15:53 UTC on 13 December 1977.[4]

Kosmos 967 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 961 kilometres (597 mi), an apogee of 1,003 kilometres (623 mi), 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 104.7 minutes.[1] It was successfully intercepted by Kosmos 970 in a non-destructive test on 21 December 1977. It was then re-used by Kosmos 1009 on 19 May 1978. Both tests were successful, and both left Kosmos 967 intact. As of 2009, it is still in orbit.[2][5]

Kosmos 967 was the seventh of ten Lira satellites to be launched,[1] of which all but the first were successful. Lira was derived from the earlier DS-P1-M satellite, which it replaced.

See also

References
  1. Wade, Mark. "DS-P1-M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  2. Wade, Mark. "IS-A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  4. Wade, Mark. "Kosmos 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 June 2009.


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