Kosmos 400


Kosmos 400, also known as DS-P1-M No.3 was a satellite which was used as a target for tests of anti-satellite weapons. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme, and used as a target for Kosmos 404, as part of the Istrebitel Sputnikov programme.

Launch

It was launched aboard a Kosmos-3M carrier rocket, from Site 132/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 21:45:00 UTC on 18 March 1971.

Orbit

Kosmos 400 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of, an apogee of, 65.8 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 105 minutes. It was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Kosmos 404 on 4 April. As of 2009, debris is still in orbit.
Kosmos 400 was the third of the five original DS-P1-M satellites to be launched, of which all but the first were successful. Following the five initial launches the DS-P1-M satellite was replaced with a derivative, Lira.