| Kosmos 233 | |
| Mission Type: | ABM radar target |
| Cospar Id: | 1968-061A |
| Satcat: | 03326 |
| Mission Duration: | 204 days |
| Spacecraft Type: | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer: | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch Mass: | 325 kg |
| Launch Date: | 18 July 1968, 19:59:50 GMT |
| Launch Rocket: | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch Site: | Plesetsk, Site 133/3 |
| Launch Contractor: | Yuzhnoye |
| Decay Date: | 7 February 1969 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 18 July 1968 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 198 km |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 1514 km |
| Orbit Inclination: | 82.0° |
| Orbit Period: | 102.1 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 233 (Russian: Космос 233 meaning Cosmos 233), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.15, 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 .[1]
Kosmos 233 was launched from Site 133/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 18 July 1968 at 19:59:50 UTC, and resulted in Kosmos 233's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-061A.
Kosmos 233 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of, an apogee of 1514km (941miles), an inclination of 82.0°, and an orbital period of 102.1 minutes.[1] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 7 February 1969.[4] It was the fifteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fourteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]