Kosmos 2368

{{Short description|Russian military early warning satellite}}

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = Kosmos 2368

| mission_type = Early warning

| operator =

| COSPAR_ID = 1999-073A

| SATCAT = 26042

| mission_duration = 4 years

| spacecraft_type = US-K

| manufacturer =

| launch_mass = {{convert|1900|kg}}

| launch_date = {{start-date|27 December 1999, 19:12|timezone=yes}} UTC

| launch_rocket = Molniya-M/2BL

| launch_site = Plesetsk Cosmodrome

| entered_service =

| disposal_type =

| deactivated = 2001/2002

| decay_date =

| orbit_epoch =

| orbit_reference = Geocentric

| orbit_regime = Molniya

| orbit_periapsis = {{convert|576|km}}

| orbit_apoapsis = {{convert|39776|km}}

| orbit_inclination = 62.8 degrees

| orbit_period = 717.74 minutes

| orbit_slot =

| apsis = gee

}}

Kosmos 2368 ({{langx|ru|Космос 2368}} meaning Cosmos 2368) was a Russian US-K missile early warning satellite which was launched in 1999 as part of the Russian Space Forces' Oko programme. The satellite was designed to identify missile launches using optical telescopes and infrared sensors.

Kosmos 2368 was launched from Site 16/2 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 19:12 UTC on 27 December 1999. The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1999-073A. The United States Space Command assigned it the Satellite Catalog Number 26042. The satellite (along with Kosmos 2340, Kosmos 2351, and Kosmos 2342) were lost after a 2001 fire destroyed the ground control building located at the Serpukhov-15 military base resulting in the loss of orbital control.{{cite conference |title=Early Warning Satellites in Russia: What past, what state today, what future?|first=A |last=Paleologue|year=2005 |conference=Modeling, Simulation, and Verification of Space-based Systems II | editor =Pejmun Motaghedi|publisher=SPIE|pages=146–157 |book-title=Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5799|doi=10.1117/12.603478 }}