Kosmos 18

Kosmos 18
A Zenit reentry capsule
NamesZenit 2-11
Mission typeOptical imaging reconnaissance
Radiation
COSPAR ID1963-018A
SATCAT no.586
Mission duration9 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeZenit-2
ManufacturerOKB-1
Launch mass4730 kg
Start of mission
Launch date24 May 1963, 10:48:00 GMT
RocketVostok-2
Launch siteBaikonur 1/5
ContractorOKB-1
End of mission
DisposalRecovered
Landing date2 June 1963
Landing siteSteppe in Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude196 km
Apogee altitude288 km
Inclination65.0°
Period89.4 minutes
Epoch24 May 1963

Kosmos 18 (Russian: Космос 18 meaning Cosmos 18) or Zenit-2 No.11 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1963. A Zenit-2 satellite, Kosmos 18 was the eleventh of eighty-one such spacecraft to be launched.