| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-044A |
| SATCAT no. | 03272 |
| Mission duration | 134 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 May 1968, 20:29:49 GMT |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk, Site 133/3 |
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 11 October 1968 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 285 km |
| Apogee altitude | 488 km |
| Inclination | 71.0° |
| Period | 92.3 minutes |
| Epoch | 30 May 1968 |
Kosmos 222 (Russian: Космос 222 meaning Cosmos 222), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.12, was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1] It had a mass of 325 kilograms (717 lb).[1]
Kosmos 222 was launched from Site 133/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 30 May 1968 at 20:29:49 GMT, and resulted in Kosmos 222's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-044A.
Kosmos 222 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 285 kilometres (177 mi), an apogee of 488 kilometres (303 mi), an inclination of 71.0°, and an orbital period of 92.3 minutes.[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 11 October 1968.[4] It was the fourteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the thirteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]
