Kosmos 601

Kosmos 601
Mission typeABM radar target
COSPAR ID1973-075A
SATCAT no.06875
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeDS-P1-Yu
ManufacturerYuzhnoye
Launch mass400 kilograms (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date16 October 1973, 14:00:01 (1973-10-16UTC14:00:01Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-2I 63SM
Launch sitePlesetsk 133/1
End of mission
Decay date15 August 1974 (1974-08-16)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude197 kilometres (122 mi)
Apogee altitude1,404 kilometres (872 mi)
Inclination81.8 degrees
Period100.9 minutes

Kosmos 601 (Russian: Космос 601 meaning Cosmos 601), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.60, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1973 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.