Kosmos 324

Kosmos 324 (Russian: Космос 324 meaning Cosmos 324), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.32, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1970 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325-kilogram (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.^[1]

Launch

Kosmos 324 was launched from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,^[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 27 February 1970 at 17:24:55 UTC, and resulted in the successful deployment of Kosmos 324 into low Earth orbit.^[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1970-014A.

Orbit

Kosmos 324 was the thirtieth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,^[1] and the twenty-eighth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.^[4] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 258 kilometres (160 mi), an apogee of 387 kilometres (240 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91 minutes.^[1][5] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 23 May 1970.^[5]

References