Mission type Optical imaging SATCAT no. 2196 Launch date 8 June 1966 | COSPAR ID 1966-050A Mission duration 8 days Manufacturer OKB-1 | |
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Kosmos 120 (Russian: Космос 120 meaning Cosmos 120) or Zenit-2 No.41 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1966. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 120 was the thirty-ninth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730.0 kilograms (10,427.9 lb).
Kosmos 120 was launched by a Voskhod carrier rocket, flying from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch took place at 11:02 UTC on 8 June 1966, and following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation; along with the International Designator 1966-050A and the Satellite Catalog Number 2196. This was the first time a Voskhod had been used to launch a Zenit-2 satellite; previous launches had used Vostok-2 rockets while the Voskhod was typically used to launch Zenit-4 spacecraft.
Kosmos 120 was operated in a low Earth orbit; at an epoch of 10 June 1966 it had a perigee of 200 kilometres (120 mi), an apogee of 286 kilometres (178 mi) inclination of 51.7 degrees and an orbital period of 89.36 minutes. After eight days in orbit, Kosmos 120 was deorbited, with its return capsule descending under parachute and landing at 09:36 UTC on 16 June 1966.