| Kosmos 47 | |
| Mission Type: | Orbital test flight |
| Operator: | OKB-1 |
| Cospar Id: | 1964-062A |
| Satcat: | 891 |
| Spacecraft: | Voskhod-3KV No.2 |
| Manufacturer: | OKB-1 |
| Launch Mass: | 5320 kg[1] |
| Launch Date: | 6 October 1964, 07:12:00 GMT |
| Launch Rocket: | Voskhod 11A57 |
| Launch Site: | Baikonur 1/5 |
| Launch Contractor: | OKB-1 |
| Landing Date: | 7 October 1964, 07:30 GMT |
| Orbit Epoch: | 6 October 1964 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric[2] |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 174 km |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 383 km |
| Orbit Inclination: | 64.8° |
| Orbit Period: | 90.0 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Programme: | Voskhod programme |
| Next Mission: | Voskhod 1 |
| Programme2: | Kosmos (satellites) |
| Previous Mission2: | Kosmos 46 |
| Next Mission2: | Kosmos 48 |
Kosmos 47 (Russian: Космос 47 meaning Cosmos 47) is the designation of an uncrewed test flight of a prototype Soviet Voskhod spacecraft, the first multiple-occupant spacecraft. Launched on 6 October 1964, the successful flight paved the way for the first crewed mission, Voskhod 1, which occurred just 6 days later on 12 October 1964.
The spacecraft was one of many designated under the Kosmos system, which is applied to a wide variety of spacecraft of different designs and functions including test flights of crewed vehicles.
The launch took place on 6 October at 07:12 GMT[3] from Gagarin's Start, Site 1/5 at Baikonur Cosmodrome on board a Voskhod rocket s/n R15000-02. Kosmos 47 was operated in a low Earth orbit, it had a perigee of 174km (108miles), an apogee of 383km (238miles), an inclination of 64.8° and an orbital period of 90.0 minutes. On 7 October 1964, testing of all the spacecraft's systems occurred in the space of 24 hours. The landing took place on 7 October 1964 at around 07:30 GMT. The spacecraft was deorbited with its return capsule descending by parachute for recovery by Soviet Forces.[4]
The Voskhods spacecraft were adaptations of the single place Vostok spacecraft meant to conduct flights with up to three crew and for spacewalks in advance of the American Gemini program. Work on the 3KV and 3KD versions of the basic Vostok spacecraft began with the decree issued on 13 April 1964. In order to accommodate more than one crew, the seats were mounted perpendicular to the Vostok ejection seat position, so the crew had to crane their necks to read instruments, still mounted in their original orientation. The "Elburs" soft landing system replaced the ejection seat and allowed the crew to stay in the capsule. It consisted of probes that dangled from the parachute lines. Contact with the Earth triggered a solid rocket engine in the parachute which resulted in a zero velocity landing.