Kosmos 396
| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1971-014A |
| SATCAT no. | 4959 |
| Mission duration | ~13 days |
| Orbits completed | ~210 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Zenit-4M |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 6,300 kilograms (13,900 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 February 1971, 13:59 UTC |
| Rocket | Voskhod 11A57 |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 43/3 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 3 March 1971 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.00738 |
| Perigee altitude | 212 kilometres (132 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 310 kilometres (190 mi) |
| Inclination | 65.4 degrees |
| Period | 89.4 minutes |
| Epoch | 17 February 1971, 19:00:00 UTC |
Kosmos 396 (Russian: Космос 396 meaning Cosmos 396) was a test flight of the Zenit-4M military surveillance satellite. The Zenit satellite's purpose was high resolution photographic reconnaissance. This particular test flight returned a capsule containing exposed film.