| Kosmos 230 | |
| Mission Type: | Solar imaging |
| Cospar Id: | 1968-056A |
| Satcat: | 03308 |
| Mission Duration: | 120 days |
| Spacecraft Type: | DS-U3-S |
| Manufacturer: | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch Mass: | 400 kg |
| Launch Date: | 5 July 1968, 06:59:50 GMT |
| Launch Rocket: | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch Site: | Kapustin Yar, Site 86/4 |
| Launch Contractor: | Yuzhnoye |
| Decay Date: | 2 November 1968 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 5 July 1968 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 285 km |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 543 km |
| Orbit Inclination: | 48.5° |
| Orbit Period: | 93.0 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 230 (ru|Космос 230 meaning Cosmos 230), also known as DS-U3-S No.2, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400NaN spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.[1]
Kosmos 230 was launched from Site 86/4 at Kapustin Yar, aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket.[2] The launch occurred at 06:59:50 UTC on 5 July 1968, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into a low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-056A.[4] The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 03308.
Kosmos 230 was the second of two DS-U3-S satellites to be launched, after Kosmos 166.[1] [5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 285km (177miles), an apogee of 543km (337miles), an inclination of 48.5°, and an orbital period of 93.0 minutes, until decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 2 November 1968.[6]