| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1966-061A |
| SATCAT no. | 02295 |
| Mission duration | 155 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kg [1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 8 July 1966, 05:31:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63S1 |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/1 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 10 December 1966 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric [2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 256 km |
| Apogee altitude | 512 km |
| Inclination | 48.8° |
| Period | 92.2 minutes |
| Epoch | 8 July 1966 |
Kosmos 123 (Russian : Космос 123 meaning Cosmos 123), also known as DS-P1-Yu No.5 was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. [3] It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1966 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. [4]
A Kosmos-2I 63S1 carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 123. [5] The launch occurred from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar, at 05:31 GMT on 8 July 1966. [6] and following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation; along with the International Designator 1966-061A [1] and the Satellite Catalog Number 02295.
Kosmos 123 separated from the carrier rocket into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 256 kilometres (159 mi), an apogee of 512 kilometres (318 mi), an inclination of 48.8°, and an orbital period of 92.2 minutes. [2] It decayed from orbit on 10 December 1966. [7] Kosmos 123 was the sixth of seventy-nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched, [4] and the fifth of seventy-two to successfully reach orbit.
