| Official name | COSMOS 972 |
| Alternative name | Cosmos-972 |
| Cospar ID | 1977-123A |
| Norad ID | 10539 |
| Launch date | 1977-12-27 |
| Launch site | PKMTR |
| Launch vehicle | Tsiklon-3 |
| Country/Organization | USSR |
| Type application | Vehicle Evaluation |
| RCS size | LARGE |
| Decay date | ON ORBIT |
| Period (min) | 103.66 |
| Inclination (deg) | 75.83 |
| Perigee (km) | 711 |
| Apogee (km) | 1153 |
| Eccentricity | 0.237124463519313 |
| Mean motion (revs. per day) | 13.8915685896199 |
| Semi-Major axis (km) | 7310.135 |
| Raan (deg) | 332.3654 |
| Arg of perigee (deg) | 320.3019 |
| Shape | Cyl |
| Mass (kg) | 817.64 |
| Diameter (m) | 1.3 |
| Height (m) | 3.2 |
| Propulsion | None |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COSMOS 921 | 1977-055A | 1977-06-24 | PKMTR | Tsiklon-3 | ||
| COSMOS 956 | 1977-095A | 1977-09-24 | PKMTR | Tsiklon-3 | ||
| COSMOS 972 | 1977-123A | 1977-12-27 | PKMTR | Tsiklon-3 | ||
| COSMOS 1025 | 1978-067A | 1978-06-28 | PKMTR | Tsiklon-3 |
