| Kosmos 142 | |
| Mission Type: | Ionosphere |
| Cospar Id: | 1967-013A |
| Satcat: | 02678 |
| Mission Duration: | 142 days |
| Spacecraft Type: | DS-U2-I |
| Manufacturer: | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch Mass: | 315 kg |
| Launch Date: | 14 February 1967, 10:04:56 GMT |
| Launch Rocket: | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch Site: | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/1 |
| Launch Contractor: | Yuzhnoye |
| Decay Date: | 6 July 1967 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 14 February 1967 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 207 km |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 1336 km |
| Orbit Inclination: | 48.4° |
| Orbit Period: | 100.3 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 142 (Russian: Космос 142 meaning Cosmos 142), also known as DS-U2-I No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to study the effects on radio waves of passing through the ionosphere.[1]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 142 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar.[2] The launch occurred at 10:04:56 GMT on 14 February 1967, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1967-013A.[4] The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02678.
Kosmos 142 was the second of three DS-U2-I satellites to be launched.[5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of, an apogee of, an inclination of 48.4°, and an orbital period of 100.3 minutes.[6] On 6 July 1967, it decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere.[7]