| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-079A |
| SATCAT no. | 03414 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-I |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kilograms (717 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 September 1968, 14:39:59 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 13 November 1968 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 272 kilometres (169 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 406 kilometres (252 mi) |
| Inclination | 71 degrees |
| Period | 91.3 minutes |
Kosmos 242 (Russian: Космос 242 meaning Cosmos 242), also known as DS-P1-I No.4 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.[1]
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[2] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 14:39:59 UTC on 20 September 1968.[3]
Kosmos 242 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 272 kilometres (169 mi), an apogee of 406 kilometres (252 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.3 minutes.[1] It decayed from orbit on 13 November 1968.[4]
Kosmos 242 was the fourth of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched.[1] Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh.[5]
