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-U1 D satellite. It was a 295 kilograms spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate charged particles in the Earth's magnetosphere. The first satellite, Cosmos 137 was launched on 21 December 1966. It operated until 12 May 1967 and decayed from orbit 23 November 1967.