| Kosmos 321 | |
| Mission Type: | Magnetospheric |
| Cospar Id: | 1970-006A |
| Spacecraft Type: | DS-U2-MG |
| Manufacturer: | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch Site: | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Inclination: | 70.9 degrees |
| Orbit Period: | 91.3 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 321 (ru|Космос 321 meaning Cosmos 321), also known as DS-U2-MG No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1970 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 365kg (805lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to investigate the magnetic poles of the Earth.[1]
A Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket was used to launch Kosmos 321 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch occurred at 20:19:59 UTC on 20 January 1970, 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 1970-006A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 04308.
Kosmos 321 was the first of two DS-U2-MG satellites to be launched, the other being Kosmos 356.[1] [5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of, an apogee of, 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.3 minutes. It completed operations on 13 March 1970,[6] before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 23 March.[7]