| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-015A |
| SATCAT no. | 03139 |
| Mission duration | 362 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-I |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 March 1968, 18:28:00 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk Site 133/3 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 2 March 1969 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 204 km |
| Apogee altitude | 844 km |
| Inclination | 70.0° |
| Period | 95.9 minutes |
| Epoch | 5 March 1968 |
Kosmos 204 (Russian: Космос 204 meaning Cosmos 204), also known as DS-P1-I No.3 was a satellite which was used as a radar target for anti-ballistic missile tests. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[3] and had a mass of 400 kilograms (880 lb).[1]
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[4] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 18:28:00 GMT on 5 March 1968.[5]
Kosmos 204 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 204 kilometres (127 mi), an apogee of 844 kilometres (524 mi), an inclination of 70.0°, and an orbital period of 95.9 minutes.[2] It decayed from orbit on 2 March 1969.[6]
Kosmos 204 was the third of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched. Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh, launched out of sequence.[7]
