# Cosmos 1242
**Wikidata**: [Q12753178](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12753178)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cosmos-1242

## Summary
Cosmos 1242 is a Tselina-D class signals intelligence satellite (Kosmos/Kosmos designation) launched on 27 January 1981. It was placed into orbit from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 by a Vostok-2M expendable carrier rocket and is catalogued with SCN 12154 and COSPAR ID 1981-008A.

## Key Facts
- Cosmos 1242 (alias Kosmos 1242) is an instance of the Tselina-D class, a model of Soviet signals intelligence satellite.  
- COSPAR ID: 1981-008A.  
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 12154.  
- Launch date: 1981-01-27.  
- Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43.  
- Launch vehicle: Vostok-2M expendable carrier rocket.  
- Recorded launch event time: 14:58:00 on 1981-01-27 (significant_event qualifier).  
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "12154"].  
- Wikipedia coverage exists in three language editions (mk, sh, sr).

## FAQs
### Q: What type of satellite is Cosmos 1242?
A: Cosmos 1242 is a Tselina-D class satellite, a model of Soviet signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellite.

### Q: When and where was Cosmos 1242 launched?
A: It was launched on 27 January 1981 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43. The recorded launch time is 14:58:00 on that date.

### Q: What rocket launched Cosmos 1242?
A: Cosmos 1242 was launched on a Vostok-2M expendable carrier rocket.

### Q: How is Cosmos 1242 catalogued?
A: It carries COSPAR ID 1981-008A and Satellite Catalog Number (SCN) 12154.

## Why It Matters
Cosmos 1242 is part of the Tselina-D series, a family of satellites built for signals intelligence. As an operational SIGINT platform in the early 1980s, it contributed to the broader Soviet effort to collect electronic signals for military and intelligence purposes. The satellite’s launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Vostok-2M rocket places it within the established Soviet launch infrastructure and vehicle classes of the period. Its formal identifiers (COSPAR 1981-008A and SCN 12154) and inclusion in data sources such as the Wolfram Language enable consistent tracking and cross-referencing across catalogues and research databases. For researchers of Cold War space assets, orbital SIGINT capabilities, or launch-vehicle histories, Cosmos 1242 is a concrete data point linking the Tselina-D program, the Vostok-2M launcher, and operations at Plesetsk in 1981.

## Notable For
- Being an instance of the Tselina-D model of Soviet signals intelligence satellites.  
- Launch date and time: 27 January 1981 at 14:58:00 from Plesetsk Site 43.  
- Use of the Vostok-2M expendable carrier rocket for launch.  
- Catalogued under COSPAR ID 1981-008A and SCN 12154.  
- Present in reference and catalog systems (Wolfram Language entity code Entity["Satellite", "12154"]) and in multiple language Wikipedia editions (mk, sh, sr).

## Body

### Overview
- Name/alias: Cosmos 1242 (also spelled Kosmos 1242).  
- Class/instance: Tselina-D class satellite.  
- Role: Signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform (Tselina-D is a model of Soviet SIGINT satellite).

### Identification and catalog numbers
- COSPAR ID: 1981-008A.  
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 12154.  
- Wolfram Language entity: Entity["Satellite", "12154"].  
- Wikipedia language coverage: mk, sh, sr.

### Classification and purpose
- Instance_of: Tselina-D.  
- Tselina-D is identified as a model of Soviet signals intelligence satellite in the provided source data.

### Launch details
- Launch date: 1981-01-27.  
- Significant event: rocket launch recorded on 1981-01-27.  
- Launch event qualifiers: launch site Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 and launch time 14:58:00.

### Launch vehicle and site
- Launch vehicle: Vostok-2M, described in source material as an expendable carrier rocket.  
- Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43.

### References and identifiers in databases
- SCN value provided as 12154 with supporting reference.  
- COSPAR ID 1981-008A referenced in the structured data.  
- Wolfram Language entity code links the satellite to standardized computational references.

(End of entry.)

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report