Kosmos 257 (russian: Космос 257 meaning ''Cosmos 257''), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.17, was a Soviet Union, Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It had a mass of . Kosmos 257 was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 133, Site 133/1 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Plesetsk, atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 3 December 1968 at 14:52:21 UTC, and resulted in Kosmos 257's successful deployment into low Earth orbit. Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Cosmos (satellite), Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-107A. Kosmos 257 was operated in an orbit with a apsis, perigee of , an apsis, apogee of , 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.10 minutes. It remained in orbit until it orbital decay, decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 5 March 1969. It was the seventeenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched, and the sixteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.

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Spacecraft launched in 1968 Kosmos satellites Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik program {{USSR-spacecraft-stub

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