From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Kosmos 4

First Soviet reconnaissance satellite (Zenit 2-2)

Summary

First Soviet reconnaissance satellite (Zenit 2-2)

Field	Value
name	Kosmos 4
names_list	Zenit 2-2
Sputnik 14
image	Zenit space vehicle.jpg
image_caption	A Zenit reentry capsule
image_size	290px
mission_type	Optical imaging reconnaissance
operator	OKB-1
Harvard_designation	1962 Xi 1
COSPAR_ID	1962-014A
SATCAT	287
mission_duration	(4 days planned)
spacecraft_type	Zenit-2
manufacturer	OKB-1
launch_mass	4610 kg
launch_date	26 April 1962, 10:02:00 GMT
launch_rocket	Vostok-K
launch_site	Baikonur 1/5
launch_contractor	OKB-1
disposal_type	Recovered
landing_date	29 April 1962
landing_site	Steppe in Kazakhstan
orbit_reference	Geocentric orbit
orbit_regime	Low Earth orbit
orbit_periapsis	285 km
orbit_apoapsis	317 km
orbit_inclination	65.0°
orbit_period	90.60 minutes
apsis	gee
programme	Zenit programme
Zenit-2
previous_mission	Zenit 2-1
next_mission	Zenit 2-3
programme2	Kosmos (satellites)
previous_mission2	Kosmos 3
next_mission2	Kosmos 5

Sputnik 14

Zenit-2

Kosmos 4 ( meaning Kosmos 4), also known as Zenit-2 No.2 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 14 was the first Soviet reconnaissance satellite to successfully reach orbit.

Spacecraft

Kosmos 4 was a Zenit-2 satellite, a first generation, low resolution reconnaissance satellite derived from the Vostok spacecraft used for crewed flights. It was the fourth satellite to be designated under the Kosmos system, and the second Soviet attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite, the previous attempt having failed after one of the Vostok-K engines shut down prematurely, on 11 December 1961. Kosmos 4 had a mass of 4610 kg.

Launch

It was launched on a Vostok-K rocket, which was making its seventh flight. It was the last Zenit launch to use the Vostok-K, before launches switched to the Vostok-2 starting with the next launch attempt in June 1962. The launch was conducted from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and occurred at 10:02 GMT on 26 April 1962. Kosmos 4 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 285 km, an apogee of 317 km, an inclination of 65.0°, and an orbital period of 90.60 minutes.

Mission

It conducted a four-day mission, to measure radiation before and after the U.S. nuclear tests conducted during project Starfish Prime. However, leaks from the oxygen system tanks used for the orientation system resulted in the premature return of the spacecraft after three days of flight. During most of the flight the spacecraft was uncontrollable, before being deorbited and landing by parachute on 29 April 1962, and recovered by the Soviet forces in the steppe in Kazakhstan.

The next Zenit launch attempt, scheduled for May 1962 but delayed to 1 June 1962, failed to reach orbit, but the next launch successfully reached orbit as Kosmos 7.

References

Wade, Mark. "Zenit-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report.
Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
(14 May 2020). "Trajectory: Cosmos-4 1962-014A". NASA.
(14 May 2020). "Display: Cosmos 4 1962-014A". NASA.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Report.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

spacecraft-launched-in-1962 1962-in-the-soviet-union kosmos-satellites spacecraft-which-reentered-in-1962

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Kosmos 4 — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report