Mission type Optical imaging SATCAT no. 586 | COSPAR ID 1963-018A Mission duration 9 days Launch date 24 May 1963 | |
Launch mass 4,730.0 kilograms (10,427.9 lb) Manufacturer S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia People also search for Kosmos 24, Kosmos 15, Kosmos 16 | ||
Kosmos 18 (Russian: Космос 18 meaning Cosmos 18) or Zenit-2 No.11 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1963. A Zenit-2 satellite, Kosmos 18 was the eleventh of eighty-one such spacecraft to be launched and had a mass of 4,730.0 kilograms (10,427.9 lb).
A Vostok-2 rocket, serial number E15000-12, was used to launch Kosmos 18. The launch took place at 10:34:06 UTC on 24 May 1963, using Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation, along with the International Designator 1963-018A and the Satellite Catalog Number 586.
Kosmos 18 was operated in a low Earth orbit. On 30 May 1963 it had a perigee of 203 kilometres (126 mi), an apogee of 278 kilometres (173 mi), with inclination of 64.9 degrees and an orbital period of 89.31 minutes. Having spent nine days in orbit, the spacecraft was deorbited on 2 June 1963. Its return capsule descended under parachute and was recovered by Soviet forces. In addition to its imaging mission, Kosmos 18 was used to conduct measurements of radiation levels in low Earth orbit.