| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1967-081A |
| SATCAT no. | 02921 |
| Mission duration | 117 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 August 1967, 04:59:49 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk, 133/1 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 17 December 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 277 km |
| Apogee altitude | 480 km |
| Inclination | 71.0° |
| Period | 92.3 minutes |
| Epoch | 24 August 1967 |
Kosmos 173 (Russian: Космос 173 meaning Cosmos 173), also known as DS-P1-Yu No.8 was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was a 325 kilograms (717 lb) spacecraft,[1] was built by the Yuzhnoye, and launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[3]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 173 from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[4] The launch occurred at 04:59:49 GMT on 24 August 1967, and resulted in Kosmos 173's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[5]
Kosmos 173 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 277 kilometres (172 mi), an apogee of 480 kilometres (300 mi), an inclination of 71.0°, and an orbital period of 92.3 minutes.[2] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 17 December 1967.[6] It was the ninth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[3] and the eighth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[7]
