COSMOS 1238

Satellite information

Favourite Embed

Satellite Type and Status

PAYLOADIN ORBIT

Key statistics

Satellite COSMOS 1238 at a glance.

Uptime

16403

Days in orbit

Revolutions

≈ 14.1

Per day

Orbit

LEO

Low Earth Orbit

Inclination

83.0

Latest

Satellite identification and parameters

Extended collection of information and parameters for COSMOS 1238.

Object identification

Identified? True

Debris? False

Object name: COSMOS 1238

International designator: 1981-003A

Object number (NORAD): 12138

Object ID (CCSDS): 12138

Country: COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES (CIS)

Current information (Y/N): Y

RCS size: LARGE

Orbital parameters

Period: 102.005 minutes

Inclination: 82.9597 deg

SMA: 7231.733 km

Apoapsis: 1317.916 km

Periapsis: 389.28 km

RAAN: 6.4996 deg

Eccentricy: 0.06420563

Argument of periapsis: 276.0528 deg

Mean anomaly: 76.7894 deg

Mean motion: 14.11689557 rev/day

Mean motion (dot): 0.00006006 rev/day²

B* drag term: 0.00041099784 1/R_Earth

Two-line elements (TLE)

Creation date: Dec. 12, 2025, 10:14 a.m.

Reference frame: TEME

Reference center: EARTH

Epoch: Dec. 12, 2025, 6:16 a.m. UTC

TLE line 0: 0 COSMOS 1238

TLE line 1: 1 12138U 81003A 25346.26137792 .00006006 00000-0 41100-3 0 9995

TLE line 2: 2 12138 82.9597 6.4996 0642056 276.0528 76.7894 14.11689557243528

Live tracking on map

Real-time ground track for satellite COSMOS 1238.

In-orbit conjunctions

A list of the most updated potential collisions computed for object COSMOS 1238.

Target	Orbit	TCA	Probability of collision	Miss distance	Type
DMSP 5D-2 F11 DEB	SSO	2025-07-19 07:39:18	0.0001032033	87.0 (m)	DEBRIS
COSMOS 1275 DEB	LEO	2025-06-14 06:05:31	0.0001742878	103.0 (m)	DEBRIS
SL-14 DEB	LEO	2025-03-26 20:42:37	0.0002278679	75.0 (m)	DEBRIS
NOAA 17 DEB	SSO	2025-03-11 10:10:43	0.0001199137	740.0 (m)	DEBRIS
COSMOS 755	LEO	2024-05-30 04:14:04	0.0007516068	528.0 (m)	PAYLOAD

Associated space launch

Film-return reconnaissance satellite

COSMOS 1238 was lifted into orbit during the mission ‘Soyuz U | Zenit-4MT 20’, on board a Soyuz U space rocket.

The launch took place on Jan. 16, 1981, noon from 41/1.

For more information about the launch, click the button.

Soyuz U | Zenit-4MT 20

Agency: N/A

Status: Launch Successful

Launch date: Jan. 16, 1981, noon UTC

Rocket: Soyuz U

Launch pad: 41/1

Location: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

...

Go to the launch

Latest news about this satellite

There are no fresh news available about this satellite. Check back as we update our databases every day.

Return to all satellites

Embed the widget

Just copy the snippet below and paste it as HTML in your article, presentation, e-mail, blog post or website.

<iframe src="https://obdh.space/embed/satcat/12138/" width="400" height="720" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Real-time statistics and tracking

The widget will always be up to date. All data, statistics and tracking map are automatically refreshed in real-time. Check the examples below!

Widget preview

Newsletter sign-up

Weekly statistics, charts and insights to help you stay on top of the space industry.