Launch Failure
Liftoff Time (GMT)
16:30:00
Friday October 27, 1961
First flight of a Cosmos rocket. First flight of Cosmos-1 (63S1). The launch vehicle did not reach its orbital velocity due to the failure of an acceleration integrator in the velocity control command.
DS satellites are a series of satellites made to be universal, and easily modifiable according to customer needs. After a first launch in 1962, almost two hundred satellites will be launched. Several generations of DS satellites will be developed, some used for scientific studies, while others will be used by the Red Army for radar calibration. After flying two demonstration series (DS-1 and DS-2), the DS satellites will have three universal versions (DS-U1, unstabilized and battery-powered, DS-U2, unstabilized and solar-powered, DS-U3, stabilized). Versions will also be produced to fly international experiments, leading to the Intercosmos program. This flight flew a DS-1 satellite. The DS-1 is the first Soviet satellite which was not built by Sergei Korolyov's OKB-1, but by Mikhail Yanguel's OKB-586. Of very modest size (165 kg), it is mainly intended to test the Cosmos launcher (63S1), which has never yet flown. It is equipped with sensors to measure the stress undergone by a satellite when the launcher separates, as well as its angular velocity. It also has a scientific vocation, since it is equipped with an LZ-7 sensor to measure cosmic rays. This experiment is carried out on behalf of the Institute of Applied Geophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. The DS-1 also has the MBP-1 radio system to transmit its data to the ground.
Low Earth Orbit
1 Payload
165 kilograms
Manufacturer
OKB-586Rocket
Height: 29.59m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 350 kg
GTO: 0 kg
Liftoff Thrust
636 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 1.65m
Height: 2.99m
Stages
2
1st
Mission
1st
Mission of 1961
27th
Mission
7th
Mission of 1961
39th
Orbital launch attempt