Kosmos 7 also known as Zenit-2 #4 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 17 was a Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 reconnaissance satellite launched in 1962. It was the seventh satellite to be designated under the Kosmos

Cosmos (satellite)

Kosmos is a designation given to a large number of satellites operated by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia. Kosmos 1, the first spacecraft to be given a Kosmos designation, was launched on March 16, 1962....

 system, and the second successful launch of a Soviet reconnaissance satellite. It also marked the first successful launch of a Vostok-2

Vostok-2 (rocket)

The Vostok-2 , GRAU index 8A92 was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union between 1962 and 1967. Forty five were launched, of which five failed. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-K, with uprated engines. It was a member of the R-7 family of rockets.The Vostok-2 made its maiden...

, on the second attempt. The first Vostok-2 launch, also carrying a Zenit-2 satellite, suffered an engine failure seconds after launch, fell back to earth and exploded within 300 metres of the launch pad.

Vostok-2 s/n

Serial number

A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...

 T15000-07 was used to launch Kosmos 7. The launch was conducted from Site 1/5

Gagarin's Start

Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....

 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Baikonur Cosmodrome

The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...

, and occurred at 09:18:31 GMT on 28 July 1962.

Kosmos 7 was placed into a low Earth orbit

Low Earth orbit

A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...

 with a perigee

Apsis

An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...

 of 197 kilometres (122.4 mi), an apogee

Apsis

An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...

 of 356 kilometres (221.2 mi), 64.9 degrees of inclination

Inclination

Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...

, and an orbital period

Orbital period

The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...

 of 90 minutes. It conducted a four day mission, before being deorbited and landing by parachute

Parachute

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...

 on 1 August.

Kosmos 7 was a Zenit-2 satellite, a reconnaissance satellite derived from the Vostok spacecraft

Vostok spacecraft

The Vostok was a type of spacecraft built by the Soviet Union. The first human spaceflight in history was accomplished on this spacecraft on April 12, 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin....

 used for manned

Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....

 flights. It was the second Zenit-2 to reach orbit, the first being Kosmos 4

Kosmos 4

Kosmos 4 , also known as Zenit-2 #2 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 14 was the first Soviet reconnaissance satellite to successfully reach orbit...

. The next Zenit-2 launch was Kosmos 9

Kosmos 9

Kosmos 9 , also known as Zenit-2 #7, was a Soviet reconnaissance satellite launched in 1962. It was the ninth satellite to be designated under the Kosmos system, and the third successful launch of a Soviet reconnaissance satellite, following Kosmos 4 and Kosmos 7.Vostok-2 s/n T15000-06 was used to...

. Kosmos 7 carried an area survey reconnaissance payload. In addition to reconnaissance, it was also used for research into radiation

Radiation

In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...

.