| Kosmos 356 | |
| Mission Type: | Magnetospheric |
| Cospar Id: | 1970-059A |
| 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: | 81.9 degrees |
| Orbit Period: | 92.3 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
Kosmos 356 (ru|Космос 356 meaning Cosmos 356), also known as DS-U2-MG No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1970 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 357kg (787lb) 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 356 into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.[2] The launch occurred at 19:59:55 UTC on 10 August 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 1970-059A.[4] The North American Aerospace Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 04487.
Kosmos 356 was the second of two DS-U2-MG satellites to be launched, after Kosmos 321.[1] [5] It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of, an apogee of, 81.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 92.3 minutes, before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 2 October 1970.[6]