The Kosmos-3 (
GRAU Index: 11K65,
also known as Cosmos-3) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
carrier rocket
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and syste ...
(
Kosmos (rocket family)), derived from the
R-14 missile, which was used to orbit satellites between 1966 and 1968. It was quickly replaced by the modernised
Kosmos-3M
The Kosmos-3M (russian: Космос-3М meaning "''Cosmos''", GRAU index 11K65M) was a Russian space launch vehicle, member of the Kosmos rocket family. It was a liquid-fueled two-stage launch vehicle, first launched in 1967 and with over 42 ...
. Six were flown, four as orbital
carrier rocket
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and syste ...
s, and two on
sub-orbital
A sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it will not complete one orbital re ...
flights. All launches occurred from
Site 41/15 at the
Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The Kosmos-3 made its maiden flight on 16 November 1966, carrying a
Strela-2 satellite. Strela-2 satellites were flown on four flights, two of which failed. Two further,
sub-orbital
A sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it will not complete one orbital re ...
launches were conducted with
VKZ payloads, both of which were successful.
Launch history
See also
*
Kosmos-1
The Kosmos-1 (GRAU Index: 65S3, also known as Cosmos-1) was a Soviet carrier rocket (Kosmos (rocket family)), derived from the R-14 missile, which was used to orbit satellites in 1964 and 1965. It served as an interim, and was quickly replaced ...
*
Kosmos-2I
Kosmos-2I ( GRAU Index: 11K63, also known as Cosmos-2I and also known by the designation Kosmos-2) is the designation applied to two Soviet carrier rockets, members of the R-12 Kosmos rocket family, which were used to orbit satellites between 19 ...
*
Kosmos-3M
The Kosmos-3M (russian: Космос-3М meaning "''Cosmos''", GRAU index 11K65M) was a Russian space launch vehicle, member of the Kosmos rocket family. It was a liquid-fueled two-stage launch vehicle, first launched in 1967 and with over 42 ...
References
Space launch vehicles of the Soviet Union
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