| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1965-107A |
| SATCAT no. | 01846 |
| Mission duration | 203 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 December 1965 06:14:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63S1 |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/1 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 12 July 1966 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 254 km |
| Apogee altitude | 539 km |
| Inclination | 49.0° |
| Period | 92.4 minutes |
| Epoch | 21 December 1965 |
Kosmos 101 (Russian: Космос 101 meaning Cosmos 101), also known as DS-P1-Yu No.4 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 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[4]
The launch of Kosmos 101 was conducted using a Kosmos-2I 63S1 carrier rocket,[5] which flew from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar. The launch occurred at 06:14 GMT on 21 December 1965.[6]
Kosmos 101 separated from its carrier rocket into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 254 kilometres (158 mi), an apogee of 539 kilometres (335 mi), an inclination of 49.0°, and an orbital period of 92.4 minutes. It decayed from orbit on 12 July 1966.[7] Kosmos 101 was the fourth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[4] of which all but seven were successful.
