| Kosmos 222 | |
| Mission Type: | ABM radar target |
| Cospar Id: | 1968-044A |
| Satcat: | 03272 |
| Mission Duration: | 134 days |
| Spacecraft Type: | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer: | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch Mass: | 325 kg |
| Launch Date: | 30 May 1968, 20:29:49 GMT |
| Launch Rocket: | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch Site: | Plesetsk, Site 133/3 |
| Launch Contractor: | Yuzhnoye |
| Decay Date: | 11 October 1968 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 30 May 1968 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 285 km |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 488 km |
| Orbit Inclination: | 71.0° |
| Orbit Period: | 92.3 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 222 (Russian: Космос 222 meaning Cosmos 222), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.12, was a 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.[1] It had a mass of .
Kosmos 222 was launched from Site 133/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 30 May 1968 at 20:29:49 GMT, and resulted in Kosmos 222's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-044A.
Kosmos 222 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 285km (177miles), an apogee of 488km (303miles), an inclination of 71.0°, and an orbital period of 92.3 minutes. It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 11 October 1968.[4] It was the fourteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched, and the thirteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]