Kosmos 2

Kosmos 2
NamesSputnik 12
1MS No.1
Mission typeTechnology
Ionosphere
Harvard designation1962 Iota 1
COSPAR ID1962-009A
SATCAT no.269
Mission duration1 year, 4 months and 14 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type1MS
ManufacturerOKB-1
Launch mass285 kg
Start of mission
Launch date6 April 1962, 17:16:00 GMT
RocketKosmos-2I 63S1
Launch siteKapustin Yar, Mayak-2
ContractorYuzhnoye
End of mission
Decay date20 August 1963
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude215 km
Apogee altitude1488 km
Inclination49.0°
Period102.5 minutes
Epoch6 April 1962

Kosmos 2 (Russian: Космос 2 meaning Cosmos 2), also known as 1MS No.1 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 12 was a technology demonstration and a scientific research satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1962. It was the second satellite to be designated under the Kosmos system, and the first spacecraft to be launched as part of the MS programme.