Kosmos 19

Kosmos 19 (Russian: Космос 19 meaning Cosmos 19), also known as DS-P1 No.3 was a prototype radar target satellite for anti-ballistic missile tests, which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1963 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. Its primary mission was to demonstrate the necessary technologies for radar tracking of spacecraft, which would allow future satellites to function as targets.^[1]

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63S1 rocket,^[2] from pad 2 of the Mayak Launch Complex at Kapustin Yar. The launch occurred at 06:00 UTC on 6 August 1963.^[3]

Kosmos 19 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 267 kilometres (166 mi), an apogee of 497 kilometres (309 mi), 49 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92.1 minutes.^[1] It decayed from orbit on 30 March 1964.^[4]

Kosmos 19 was a prototype DS-P1 satellite, the third of four to be launched.^[1] It was preceded by the successful launch of Kosmos 6 in June 1962, and a launch failure in April 1963, and was succeeded by Kosmos 25, which was launched in February 1964.^[5]

See also

• 1963 in spaceflight

References