Intercosmos 7 Credit - © Mark Wade

Measurements of the sun; used for Interkosmos launches. Payload included East European experiments to study solar UV, X-ray effects on upper atmosphere. Investigation of solar radiation and its effect on the atmosphere of the earth.

Design work began in April 1967. Adaptation of DS satellites by KB Yuzhnoye. For the Interkosmos modifications V F Chutkin was Chief Designer and First Assistant was V S Budnik. Interkosmos-1 was launched by a Kosmos-2 launch vehicle in October 1969.

Typical orbit: 345 x 570 km, 49.2 deg inclinaton. Mass: 390 kg (850 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K63, Kosmos 11K65M.

• 1969 October 14 - Intercosmos 1 - Program: DS. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K63. Mass: 320 kg (700 lb). Perigee: 264 km (164 mi). Apogee: 617 km (383 mi). Inclination: 48.30 deg. Period: 93.40 min.

  Measurements of the solar radiation and its effect on the atmosphere of the earth. Payload included East European experiments to study solar ultraviolet and X-ray effects on the upper atmosphere. Investigation of

• 1970 October 14 - Intercosmos 4 - Program: DS. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K63. Mass: 320 kg (700 lb). Perigee: 255 km (158 mi). Apogee: 656 km (407 mi). Inclination: 48.40 deg. Period: 93.70 min.

  Investigation of the ultra-violet and x-radiation of the sun and its effect on the structure of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Payload included East European experiments to study solar ultraviolet and X-ray effects on upper atmosphere.

• 1972 June 30 - Intercosmos 7 - Program: DS. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K63. Mass: 375 kg (826 lb). Perigee: 260 km (160 mi). Apogee: 550 km (340 mi). Inclination: 48.40 deg. Period: 92.60 min.

  Continuation of joint studies of the sun's ultra-violet and x-radiation and its effects on the structure of the earth's upper atmosphere.

• 1974 May 17 - Intercosmos 11 - Program: DS. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. Mass: 400 kg (880 lb). Perigee: 483 km (300 mi). Apogee: 511 km (317 mi). Inclination: 50.60 deg. Period: 94.50 min.

  Investigation of solar ultraviolet rays and X-rays and their effect on the earth's upper atmosphere.

• 1975 June 3 - Intercosmos 14 - Program: Intercosmos. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. FAILURE: First stage failed 84 seconds after launch.

  Measurements of the sun; used for Interkosmos launches. Payload included East European experiments to study solar UV, X-ray effects on upper atmosphere. Investigation of solar radiation and its effect on the atmosphere of the earth.

• 1976 July 27 - Intercosmos 16 - Program: DS. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. Mass: 550 kg (1,210 lb). Perigee: 464 km (288 mi). Apogee: 517 km (321 mi). Inclination: 50.60 deg. Period: 94.40 min.

  Investigation of the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation of the Sun and the influence of such radiation on the structure of the Earth's upper atmosphere.

• Novosti Kosmonavtiki, "AUOSi prodolzhayut rabotu", 1995, Issue 21, page 43.

• Agapov, V, Novosti Kosmonavtiki, "K zapusku pervovo ISZ serii 'DS'", 1997, Issue 6.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.