| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1972-054A |
| SATCAT no. | 06099 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 250 kilograms (550 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 12 July 1972, 05:59:57 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar 86/4 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 9 May 1974 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 215 kilometres (134 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 2,071 kilometres (1,287 mi) |
| Inclination | 48.4 degrees |
| Period | 108.2 minutes |
Kosmos 501 (Russian: Космос 501 meaning Cosmos 501), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.50, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1972 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 250-kilogram (550 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.[1]
Kosmos 501 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit at 05:59:57 UTC on 12 July 1972.[2] The launch took place from Site 86/4 at Kapustin Yar,[3] and used a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. It was the last DS-P1-Yu satellite to be launched from Kapustin Yar. Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1972-054A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 06099.
Kosmos 501 was the fifty-sixth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fiftieth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 215 kilometres (134 mi), an apogee of 2,071 kilometres (1,287 mi), 48.4 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 108.2 minutes.[6] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 9 May 1974.[6]
