Kosmos 167
Kosmos 167 (Russian: Космос 167 meaning Cosmos 167), or 4V-1 No.311, was a 1967 Soviet spacecraft intended to explore Venus. A spacecraft launched as part of the Venera programme, Kosmos 167 was intended to land on Venus but never departed low Earth orbit due to a launch failure.
| Mission type | Venus lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-063A |
| SATCAT no. | 02852 |
| Mission duration | 8 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 4V-1 |
| Manufacturer | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 1,106 kilograms (2,438 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 June 1967, 02:36:38 GMT |
| Rocket | Molniya-M 8K78M s/n Ya15000-70 |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 1/5 |
| Contractor | TsSKB-Progress |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 25 June 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 187 kilometres (116 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 286 kilometres (178 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.8° |
| Period | 89.2 minutes |
| Epoch | 17 June 1967 |
Venera | |
Beginning in 1962, the name Kosmos was given to Soviet spacecraft which remained in Earth orbit, regardless of whether that was their intended final destination. The designation of this mission as an intended planetary probe is based on evidence from Soviet and non-Soviet sources and historical documents. Typically, Soviet planetary missions were initially put into an Earth parking orbit as a launch platform with a rocket engine and attached probe. The probes were then launched toward their targets with an engine burn with a duration of roughly 4 minutes. If the engine misfired or the burn was not completed, the probes would be left in Earth orbit and given a Kosmos designation.