| Mission type | Magnetosphere |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1966-117A |
| SATCAT no. | 02627 |
| Mission duration | 142 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U2-D |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 295 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 December 1966 13:11:59 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63S1 |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/1 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 12 May 1967 |
| Decay date | 23 November 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 219 km |
| Apogee altitude | 1718 km |
| Inclination | 48.8° |
| Period | 104.3 minutes |
| Epoch | 21 December 1966 |
Kosmos 137 (Russian: Космос 137 meaning Cosmos 137), also known as DS-U2-D No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1966 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 295 kilograms (650 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate charged particles in the Earth's magnetosphere.[3]
A Kosmos-2I 63S1 carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 137 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[4] The launch occurred at 13:11:59 GMT on 21 December 1966, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[5] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1966-117A. The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02627.[1]
Kosmos 137 was the first of two DS-U2-D satellites to be launched,[3] and was followed by Kosmos 219 (26 April 1968).[6] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 219 kilometres (136 mi), an apogee of 1,718 kilometres (1,068 mi), an inclination of 48.8°, and an orbital period of 104.3 minutes.[2] It completed operations on 12 May 1967,[7] before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 23 November 1967.[8]
