Kosmos 167

Kosmos 167

Mission type	Venus lander [1]
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[2]
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	187 kilometres (116 mi)
Apogee altitude	286 kilometres (178 mi)
Inclination	51.8° [3]
Period	89.2 minutes
Epoch	17 June 1967
Venera ← Venera 4 Venera 5 →

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.

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designation of this mission as an intended planetary probe is based on evidence from Soviet and non-Soviet sources and historical documents.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.^[4]