# Kosmos 496

> Soviet uncrewed Soyuz test

**Wikidata**: [Q948527](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q948527)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_496)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kosmos-496

## Summary
Kosmos 496 was a Soviet uncrewed test flight of a Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft conducted as part of the Soyuz programme. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome (Gagarin's Start) on 1972-06-26 and landed on 1972-07-02, operating in low Earth orbit.

## Key Facts
- Kosmos 496 was an uncrewed Soyuz test flight and an instance of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft class.  
- COSPAR ID: 1972-045A.  
- Launch date and time: 1972-06-26, significant event qualifier records launch at 14:53:00 from Gagarin's Start, Baikonur Cosmodrome.  
- Landing date: 1972-07-02.  
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz rocket.  
- Mass at takeoff: 6,800 kilograms.  
- Operator: Soviet space program.  
- Orbital regime: low Earth orbit.  
- Internal/registry number (scn): 06066.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0b7jgh.  
- Part of: Soyuz programme; vessel/class: Soyuz 7K-T (second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft).

## FAQs
### Q: What was Kosmos 496?
A: Kosmos 496 was a Soviet uncrewed test flight of a Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft carried out under the Soyuz programme. It is recorded in sources as an uncrewed spaceflight mission.

### Q: When and where was Kosmos 496 launched?
A: Kosmos 496 was launched on 1972-06-26 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, specifically from the pad known as Gagarin's Start; the launch event is recorded at 14:53:00 on that date.

### Q: Did Kosmos 496 return to Earth?
A: Yes. The mission has a recorded landing date of 1972-07-02.

### Q: What was the spacecraft mass and orbit type?
A: The spacecraft mass at takeoff was 6,800 kilograms and it operated in low Earth orbit.

## Why It Matters
Kosmos 496 is significant as a recorded uncrewed test flight within the Soviet Soyuz programme and as an operational instance of the Soyuz 7K-T class. Test flights like Kosmos 496 played a practical role in the iterative development of crew-capable spacecraft by exercising launch, orbital, and landing sequences without putting crew lives at risk. As a Soyuz 7K-T mission, Kosmos 496 belongs to the second-generation Soyuz spacecraft lineage used by the Soviet space programme. The mission's documented launch from Gagarin's Start and subsequent landing provide verifiable data points for chronology, vehicle performance, and programme activity in 1972. For historians and technical analysts, missions listed with identifiers such as COSPAR (1972-045A), scn (06066), and freebase (/m/0b7jgh) help link tracking records, mission reports, and archival references. In short, Kosmos 496 contributes to the documented evolution of Soyuz spacecraft operations and the broader history of Soviet uncrewed flight testing.

## Notable For
- Being an uncrewed test flight of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft within the Soviet Soyuz programme.  
- Launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome's Gagarin's Start on 1972-06-26 (launch event recorded at 14:53:00).  
- Carrying a recorded takeoff mass of 6,800 kg.  
- Official COSPAR designation 1972-045A and internal scn number 06066.  
- Returning to Earth with a recorded landing date of 1972-07-02.

## Body

### Overview
- Name/alias: Kosmos 496.  
- Wikidata description: Soviet uncrewed Soyuz test.  
- Instance of: uncrewed spaceflight; Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft.

### Mission timeline
- Launch date: 1972-06-26.  
- Launch event details: recorded launch time 14:53:00 and launch site qualifier Gagarin's Start at Baikonur Cosmodrome.  
- Landing date: 1972-07-02.

### Orbital and operational details
- Orbital regime: low Earth orbit.  
- Operator: Soviet space program.  
- Part of programme: Soyuz programme.  
- Vessel/class: Soyuz 7K-T (second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft).

### Vehicle and mass
- Launch vehicle: Soyuz rocket.  
- Mass at takeoff: 6,800 kilograms.

### Identifiers and references
- COSPAR ID: 1972-045A.  
- scn (internal/registry number): 06066.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0b7jgh.  
- Image reference: Soyuz 7K-T 2-seats drawing (file link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Soyuz_7K-T_2-seats_drawing.svg).  
- Wikipedia title and multilingual links: article titled "Kosmos 496" with sitelinks in at least 18 languages (including bg, cs, de, en, es, gl, hu, it, ja, lv).

### Related classes
- Soyuz 7K-T: identified as the vessel/class for Kosmos 496 and noted as the second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft.  
- Soyuz (rocket/family): the launch vehicle family associated with the mission.

All facts above are drawn from the mission's recorded properties and identifiers.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013