| Mission type | Magnetospheric |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1970-006A  |
| SATCAT no. | 04308 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U2-MG |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 365 kilograms (805 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 January 1970, 20:19:59 (1970-01-20UTC20:19:59Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 23 March 1970 (1970-03-24) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 259 kilometres (161 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 417 kilometres (259 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.3 minutes |
Kosmos 321 (Russian: Космос 321 meaning Cosmos 321), also known as DS-U2-MG No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1970 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 365-kilogram (805 lb) spacecraft,[1] which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate the magnetic poles of the Earth.[1]
AKosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 321 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch occurred at 20:19:59 UTC on 20 January 1970, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1970-006A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 04308.
Kosmos 321 was the first of two DS-U2-MG satellites to be launched, the other being Kosmos 356.[1][5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 259 kilometres (161 mi), an apogee of 417 kilometres (259 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.3 minutes.[6] It completed operations on 13 March 1970,[7] before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 23 March.[6]
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |
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