Kosmos 166
| Mission type | Solar imaging | 
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1967-061A | 
| SATCAT no. | 02848 | 
| Mission duration | 131 days | 
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-U3-S | 
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye | 
| Launch mass | 400 kg | 
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 June 1967, 04:44:00 GMT | 
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM | 
| Launch site | Kapustin Yar, 86/1 | 
| Contractor | Yuzhnoye | 
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 25 October 1967 | 
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric | 
| Regime | Low Earth | 
| Perigee altitude | 281 km | 
| Apogee altitude | 553 km | 
| Inclination | 48.4° | 
| Period | 92.6 minutes | 
| Epoch | 16 June 1967 | 
Kosmos 166 (Russian: Космос 166 meaning Cosmos 166), also known as DS-U3-S No.1, was a satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to conduct multispectral imaging of the Sun.
Kosmos 166 was launched from Site 86/1 at Kapustin Yar, aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred at 04:44:00 GMT on 16 June 1967, and resulted in the successful insertion of the satellite into a low Earth orbit. Upon reaching orbit, the satellite was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1967-061A. The North American Air Defense Command assigned it the catalogue number 02848.
Kosmos 166 was the first of two DS-U3-S satellites to be launched, the other being Kosmos 230. It was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 281 kilometres (175 mi), an apogee of 553 kilometres (344 mi), an inclination of 48.4°, and an orbital period of 92.6 minutes. It completed operations on 26 September 1967, before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 25 October.