[JSR] Jonathan's Space Report, No. 787
Jonathan McDowell
jcm at planet4589.com
Wed Dec 16 20:49:03 EST 2020
Jonathan's Space Report
No. 787 2020 Dec 16 Somerville, MA
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International Space Station
---------------------------
Expedition 64 continues under the command of Sergey Ryzhikov.
On Dec 6, SpaceX launched Dragon CRS-21 from Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 first
stage landed on the OCISLY droneship. CRS-21 is the first cargo mission for Dragon 2.
As for Crew Dragon, and unlike the orginal cargo Dragon, Cargo Dragon 2 has no deployable
solar arrays, does not jettison its nose cap during launch, and once reaching ISS docks with an IDA
docking port (IDA-3) instead of being captured by Canadarm-2. CRS-21 indeed docked with IDA-3
on Node 2 Zenith at 1840 UTC Dec 7.
In the Dragon trunk is the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock. The 1090 kg airlock will be installed
on ISS Node 3. In use it will be unberthed from Node 3 by Canadarm-2 and satellites will
be ejected from it in that unberthed configuration; it will then be reinstalled on Node 3.
Among the pressurized cargo was a refurbished spacesuit, EMU 3015. It will replace
EMU 3008, which will be returned to Earth aboard CRS-21 when it lands.
Chang'e-5
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China's CALT launched a Chang Zheng 5 (serial Y5) from Wenchang at 2030
UTC on Nov 23. The second stage reached parking orbit at 2042 UTC and
reignited at 2058 UTC for a 7 minute burn to enter a high apogee orbit.
At 2016 UTC the payload, the Chang'e-5 moon probe, separated from the
second stage.
The 8200 kg Chang'e-5, devloped by CAST/Beijing and the Chinese Lunar
Exploration Program, is a robotic sample return mission - the first such
to the Moon since Luna-24 in 1976. The mission successfully landed on
the Moon and returned its samples to Earth after a 23 day mission.
It include the first automatic rendezvous, docking and sample transfer in
deep space.
Chang'e-5 consists of a number of components ( abbreviations are mine):
- SM, Service module, which will perform lunar orbit insertion and transearth insertion burns.
Chinese name: Guidao Qi (orbiter vehicle)
- DS, descent stage (Lander), which will separate in lunar orbit, land near Mons Rumker, and obtain a surface sample.
Chinese name: Zhuolu Qi (lander vehicle)
- AS, Ascent stage, which will take off from the lunar surface carrying the sample and dock with
the service module's docking adapter in lunar orbit.
Chinese name: Shangsheng Qi (ascent vehicle)
- AD, Adapter, which joins the service module to the lander at launch and contains the return capsule
and docking adapter. Chinese name: Lianje Zhijia (connecting frame, adapter). Left in lunar orbit.
- DA, Docking adapter, mounted on top of the return capsule. Contains a mechanism to transfer the sample
from the ascent stage to the return capsule. Chinese name: Jiaohui duijie jigou (rendezvous/docking mechanism)
- RV, Return capsule, which separates from the service module and lands in China.
Chinese name: Fanhui Qi (return vehicle)
The mission was pretty complicated, so I'll attempt to list the various stages of it
(all times UTC):
- Nov 23 2030 Launch
- Nov 23 2042 Earth parking orbit, attached to CZ-5 stage 2
- Nov 23 2058 7 minute translunar injection burn by CZ-5 stage 2, cutoff at 2105
- Nov 23 2106 CE-5 separates from stage 2, stage 2 propellant dump to 22 x 291690 km orbit
- Nov 23 2107 Translunar coast, 201 x 392980 km x 21.3 deg
- Nov 24 1406 TCM-1 trajectory correction manuever
- Nov 25 1406 TCM-2 trajectory correction manuever
Nov 27 0800 CZ-5 second stage reaches apogee at 291690 km
- Nov 27 1840 CE-5 enters lunar gravitational sphere of influence
- Nov 28 1258 Lunar orbit insertion burn to 216 x 5585 km x 42.4 deg elliptical orbit, burn completed 1315 UTC
- Nov 29 1223 Lunar orbit manuever to 217 x 217 km x 42.4 deg circular orbit
- Nov 29 2040 DS+AS separate from SM+AD (with DA+RV inside AD), in lunar orbit
- Nov 30 1423 DS+AS move to low perilune orbit, 19 x 217 km
Nov 30 1541 CZ-5 second stage reenters over 136W 4N
- Nov 30 1822 DS+AS move to pre-descent orbit, about 19 x 67 km?
- Nov 30 2345? SM+AD move to low perilune orbit (77? x 217? km)
- Dec 1 1458 DS begins powered descent burn
- Dec 1 1511 DS+AS land on the Moon at about 51.9W 43.1N, in northeast Oceanus
Procellarum, north of the Louville Omega hills.
- Dec 2 1946? AD is ejected from SM+RV+DA, in lunar orbit, Dec 2
- Dec 2 2053 DS+AS sample collection complete
- Dec 3 1510:21 AS takes off, leaving DS on the Moon
- Dec 3 1527 AS enters lunar orbit and begins rendezvous with SM+RV+DA.
- Dec 4? AS rendezvous burns 2 and 3
- Dec 5 2142 AS docks with DA;
Dec 5 2212 DA transfers sample from AS to RV.
- Dec 6 0335 AS+DA ejected from SM+RV.
- Dec 7 2259 AS+DA deorbit burn
- Dec 7 2330 AS+DA impact lunar surface near 0E 30S
- Dec 12 0154 SM+RV move to elliptical lunar orbit, about 215 x 5680 km x 42 deg
- Dec 13 0151 SM+RV perform transearth insertion burn, 22 min duration
- Dec 13 0213 SM+RV TEI burn shutdown, on lunar escape hyperbola
Dec 13 1700? SM+RV leave Lunar gravitational sphere of influence, begin trans-earth coast
Dec 14 0313 SM course correction
Dec 16 0115 SM course correction
- Dec 16 1712? RV separates from SM, 5000 km altitude
Dec 16 1715? SM avoidance manuever (to entry or to escape?)
Dec 16 1733 RV Earth atmosphere entry 120 km, 11.2 km/s
- Dec 16 1733? SM destroyed in Earth atmosphere entry, *or* performs avoidance burn and returns towards Moon?
Dec 16 1735? RV skip perigee at 60 km
Dec 16 1740? RV skip apogee at 120 km
Dec 16 1749 RV second atmosphere entry over China
- Dec 16? RV jettisons aeroshell, deploys parachute
Dec 16 1759 RV lands in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, 111 26 20E 42 20 19 N
- 2021? AD in lunar orbit perturbed by mascons and impacts lunar surface (probably within 1 year)
I have updated GCAT to include the Chang'e-5 ascent stage (`Shangsheng Qi') launch as follows:
- The engine is for now designated as SSQ Engine until we get a real desigation for it.
- The launch vehicle is designated CE-5 SSQ (short for Chang'e-5 Shangsheng Qi)
- The launch vehicle is part of the new launch family CE5SSQ
- I am calling the launch site Louville Omega North, and giving it the site code LOMN.
The launch `pad' is CE-5 ZQ (short for Chang'e 5 Zhoulu Qi, CE-5 lander).
- The launch from the lunar surface is given the launch designation 2020-U02
- The ascent stage is GCAT deep space catalog number D01048.
It has launch code 2020-087 until lunar landing, and 2020-U02 afterwards.
The entries for its launch and lunar orbit may be found in the LPRCAT event catalog.
Starlink
--------
The 16th Starlink launch (15th of the V1.0 series) on Nov 25 was also the 100th launch of a Falcon 9.
The single-burn deployment released 60 satellites in low orbit. The first stage landed on the droneship
OCISLY.
JDRS-1
------
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched H-2A number F43 from Tanegashima on Nov 29. The rocket carried
JAXA's `Hikari deta chukei shistemu' (Optical Data Relay System), also known as JDRS-1 (Japanese Data
Relay Satellite 1). The JAXA satellite will support civilian and intelligence users, and the launch
was carried out with more secrecy than usual. The satellite reached GEO by Dec 8 and is now on
station at 90.8E.
FalconEye-2
-----------
FalconEye-2, a French-built imaging satellite for the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates,
was launched from the Guiana Space Centre by a Soyuz ST-A on Dec 2. The satellite replaces
FalconEye-1 which was lost in the Vega VV15 failure in 2019.
Gonets-M
--------
Three more Gonets-M low orbit messaging satellites were launched on a
Soyuz from Plesetsk on Dec 3. A test nanosatellite for the Ministry of
Defense, ERA-1, was also carried and given the name Kosmos-2548.
Gaofen 14
---------
China's CAST/Beijing built the Gaofen 14 satellite for 3D surveying and
mapping to produce topographic maps and digital elevation models. Its
launch on Dec 6 was the first from Xichang to sun-sync orbit, using a
CZ-3B/G5. This was also the first launch of the G5 variant of the Chang
Zheng 3B rocket.
GECAM
------
China launched two GECAM satellites on Dec 9. The satellites, built by
the Shangai Engineering Center for Microsatellites, carry all-sky gamma
ray burst detectors. The aim is to detect GRBs that are associated with
gravitational wave events detected by LIGO and VIRGO. The two satellites
(GECAM A and B) have been nicknamed Xiaoji and Xiaomu.
NROL-44
-------
On Dec 9 ULA launched a Delta 4 Heavy from Cape Canaveral Space Force
Station (newly renamed as of that day) carrying a payload for the US
National Reconnaissance Office. The launch was codenamed NROL-44. The
rocket's second stage made a three-burn ascent to deliver its payload
directly to geosynchronous orbit. The payload, codenamed USA 311, is
probably an ORION signals intelligence satellite.
SXM-7
-----
On Dec 13 SpaceX launched the SXM-7 satellite on a Falcon 9. The B1051
first stage landed on the droneship Just Read The Instructions. The
second stage delivered the 7000 kg payload to a subsynchronous transfer
orbit. SXM-7, owned by Sirius XM, is a digital radio broadcasting
satellite and will use its onboard propellant to reach geostationary
orbit. The satellite is an LS-1300 type built by Maxar.
Angara
-------
After a six year gap the second Angara-A5 test flight took off from
Plesetsk on Dec 14 carrying a dummy payload. The Briz-M upper stage made
several burns to geosynchronous orbit, ettisoning its DTB propellant
tank into a 379 x 36851 km x 60.0 deg orbit. It then carried out a
simulated payload-deployment test, followed by a manuever to a 36923 x
37595 km x 0.1 deg graveyard orbit. The dummy payload was left attached
to it.
Electron 17
-----------
RocketLab launched Electron mission 17 on Dec 15, placing a small 150 kg radar satellite (Strix-Alpha) in orbit
for the Japanese company Synspective.
Astra Rocket 3.2
----------------
Astra launched Rocket 3.2 from Kodiak on Dec 15 on another orbital
attempt with only diagnostic instrumentation and no separable payload.
For the first time the Astra rocket completed successfuly first stage
flight, first stage separation, fairing separation, and second stage
ignition. The second stage burn was about 0.5 km/s short of orbital
velocity and the vehicle fell in the Pacific after reaching an apogee of
380 km.
SpaceBEE
--------
Six of the SpaceBEE satellites launched on Electron 16 belong to SwarmNZ, the New Zealand subsdiary
of Swarm Technologies, and will be registered as New Zealand rather than US satellites.
Hayabusa-2
------------
Japan's Hayabusa-2 asteroid mining mission has successfully returned its
quarried asteroid rock to Earth. The spacecraft entered the Earth's
gravitational sphere at 2254 UTC Dec 1 on an impact trajectory. 220,000
km from Earth at 0530 UTC Dec 5, it ejected its sample return capsule
and then in three burns at 0630, 0700 and 0730 UTC raised its perigee to
about 300 km, allowing a flyby to send it back out to solar orbit.
The sample return capsule entered the atmosphere at 1728 UTC Dec 5,
travelling at 11.6 km/s with an entry angle of -12 degrees. After entry
the backshell and aeroshell were ejected and the capsule deployed its
parachute, floating down to a safe landing at 136.15E 30.43S in the
Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia.
The parent spacecraft will make a flyby of minor planet 2001 CC21 in 2026, and following Earth
flybys in 2027 and 2028, will rendezvous with minor planet 1998 JY26 in 2031.
Erratum
--------
Obviously, I forgot to delete the line 'spacewalk underway..' in the last issue.
Table of Recent Orbital Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
Nov 5 0905 Bobcat-1) ISS, LEO Tech 98067RS S46922 414 x 414 x 51.6
SPOC ) Imaging 98067RR S46921 414 x 414 x 51.6
Nov 5 1040 Neutron-1 ISS, LEO Sci 98067RT S46923 414 x 414 x 51.6
Nov 5 1215 Djara ISS, LEO Tech 98067RW S46926 414 x 414 x 51.6
Nov 5 1315 Descent ) ISS, LEO Tech 98067RU S46924 414 x 414 x 51.6
SAT-TLA 1 ) Tech 98067RV S46925 414 x 414 x 51.6
Lemur-4.8 ) Com/Met 98067RX S46927 414 x 414 x 51.6
Nov 5 2324 GPS III SV-04 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Nav 78A S46826 402 x 20183 x 55.0
Nov 6 0318 Nusat-9 (Alice) ) Chang Zheng 6 Taiyuan Imaging 79B S46828 465 x 481 x 97.3
Nusat-10 (Caroline) ) Imaging 79F S46832 465 x 480 x 97.3
Nusat-11 (Cora) ) Imaging 79C S46829 465 x 480 x 97.3
Nusat-12 (Dorothy) ) Imaging 79A S46827 465 x 481 x 97.3
Nusat-13 (Emmy) ) Imaging 79G S46833 464 x 479 x 97.3
Nusat-14 (Hedy) ) Imaging 79E S46831 464 x 479 x 97.3
Nusat-15 (Katherine) ) Imaging 79D S46830 464 x 479 x 97.3
Nusat-16 (Lise) ) Imaging 79P S46840 463 x 474 x 97.3
Nusat-17 (Mary) ) Imaging 79J S46835 464 x 479 x 97.3
Nusat-18 (Vera) ) Imaging 79K S46836 464 x 479 x 97.3
Taiyuan BY70-3 ) Comms 79L?
Beihang Kongshi 1 ) Comms 79M?
Tianyan 05 ) Imaging 79N?
Nov 7 0712 Tianqi-11 Gushenxing-1 Jiuquan Comms 80A S46904 485 x 501 x 97.4 1330 LT
Nov 7 0941 EOS-1 ) PSLV-DL Satish Dhawan FLP Imaging 81A S46905 568 x 576 x 36.9
Lemur-2-Ozarak ) Com/Met 81D S46908 565 x 578 x 36.9
Lemur-2-Jindra ) Com/Met 81E S46909 565 x 578 x 36.9
Lemur-2-Wallace ) Com/Met 81F S46910 565 x 576 x 36.9
Lemur-2-Jeremiah) Com/Met 81G S46911 565 x 576 x 36.9
R2 ) Tech 81J S46913 562 x 576 x 36.9
KSM-1A ) Sigint 81B?S46906? 562 x 578 x 36.9
KSM-1B ) Sigint 81C?S46907? 562 x 578 x 36.9
KSM-1C ) Sigint 81H?S46913? 562 x 578 x 36.9
KSM-1D ) Sigint 81K?S46914? 562 x 578 x 36.9
Nov 12 1559 Tiantong-1 02 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Comms 82A S46917 170 x 35820 x 28.4
Nov 13 2332 USA 310 Atlas V 531 Canaveral SLC41 Radar? 83A S46918 11033 x 11068 x 58.5
Nov 16 0027 Resilience Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 84A S46920 189 x 208 x 51.6
Nov 17 0152 SEOSAT-Ingenio) Vega CSG Imaging U01 F01574 -500? x 250?x 98.5 1030 LT
Taranis ) Science U01 F01575 -500? x 250?x 98.5
Nov 18? AC-10a Probe 04 AC-10a, LEO Science 19-22N S46928 469 x 482 x 51.6
Nov 20 0220 Augury ) Electron Mahia LC1 Tech 85AB S46954 495 x 515 x 97.4 1440 LT
Alchemy ) Tech 85AC S46955 495 x 515 x 97.4
BRO-2 ) Sigint 85
BRO-3 ) Sigint 85
Te Waka Amiorangi o Aotearoa) Sci 85
CORVUS BC-5 ) Met-RO 85C S46931 492 x 512 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 22 ) Comms 85AA S46953 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 24 ) Comms 85Z S46952 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 25 ) Comms 85Y S46951 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 27 ) Comms 85X S46950 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 28 ) Comms 85V S46948 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 29 ) Comms 85W S46949 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 30 ) Comms 85T S46946 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 31 ) Comms 85U S46947 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 32 ) Comms 85S S46945 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 33 ) Comms 85R S46944 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 34 ) Comms 85E S46933 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 35 ) Comms 85F S46934 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 36 ) Comms 85G S46935 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 37 ) Comms 85H S46936 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE 38 ) Comms 85J S46937 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-1 ) Comms 85AG S46959 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-2 ) Comms 85AE S46957 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-3 ) Comms 85K S46938 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-4 ) Comms 85L S46939 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-5 ) Comms 85N S46941 492 x 513 x 97.4
SpaceBEE NZ-6 ) Comms 85P S46942 492 x 513 x 97.4
Nov 21 1717 Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Oceanog. 86A S46984 1308 x 1327 x 66.0
Nov 23 2030 Chang'e 5 Chang Zheng 5 Wenchang LC101 Lunar probe 87A S47097 201 x 392980 x 21.3
Nov 25 0213 Starlink 1777 ) Falcon 9 Canaveral SLC40 Comms 88A S47121 212 x 365 x 53.0
Starlink 1779 )
Starlink 1785 )
Starlink 1787 )
Starlink 1812 )
Starlink 1736-1840)
Starlink 1842-1846)
Starlink 1849-1850)
Starlink 1852-1864)
Starlink 1866-1871)
Starlink 1873-1881)
Starlink 1884-1891)
Starlink 1895 )
Starlink 1900 )
Starlink 1907 )
Starlink 1912-1914)
Starlink 1927 )
Nov 29 0725 DRS-1/ODRS H-IIA 202 Tanegashima Comms 89A S47202 255 x 35796 x 28.4
Dec 2 0133 FalconEye 2 Soyuz ST-A CSG ELS Imaging 90A S47226 597 x 599 x 97.9 1030 LT
Dec 3 0114 Gonets-M No. 30) Soyuz-2-1B/Fregat Plesetsk LC43/4 Comms 91A S47227 1486 x 1506 x 82.5
Gonets-M No. 31) Comms 91B S47228 1487 x 1506 x 82.5
Gonets-M No. 32) Comms 91C S47229 1484 x 1505 x 82.5
Kosmos-2548 ) Tech 91D? S47230 1481 x 1508 x 82.5
Dec 3 1510 Chang'e-5 Shangsheng Qi Louville Omega North, Luna Probe U02 D1048 Lunar orbit
Dec 6 0358 Gaofen 14 Chang Zheng 3B/G5 Xichang Imaging 92A S47231 485 x 509 x 97.4 1030 LT
Dec 6 1617 Dragon CRS-21 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Cargo 93A S47233 192 x 211 x 51.7
Dec 9 2014 Xiaoji ) Chang Zheng 11 Xichang Astron 94A S47234 588 x 604 x 29.0
Xiaomu ) Astron 94B S47235 587 x 604 x 29.0
Dec 11 0109 USA 311 Delta 4 Heavy Canaveral SLC37B Sigint 95A S47237 35800?x 35800?x 0
Dec 13 1730 SXM-7 Falcon 9 Canaveral SLC40 Comms 96A S47240 234 x 19380 x 27.0
Dec 14 0550 GVM Angara A5 Plesetsk LC35/1 Tech 97A S47242 36923 x 37594 x 0.1
Dec 15 1009 Strix-Alpha Electron Mahia LC1A Radar 98A S47253 489 x 511 x 97.4
Dec 15 2055 Astra Test Payload Astra Rocket 3.2 Kodiak LP3B Test F09 F01577 -1100 x 380 x 98.1
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
-----------------------------------
The US DoD reports a Russian direct-ascent antisatellite (ASAT) test on Dec 16. I understand
the missile was not tested against a target satellite; at most just a `point in space' target.
NOTAMs suggest launch was between 0100 and 0600 UTC. Unclear what the apogee was, but possibly
a few hundred km.
Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target
Oct 1 Black Dagger Boosted Zombie Fort Wingate? Target 100? White Sands
Oct 3 0640 RV Shaurya Chandipur IC4 Test 300? Bay of Bengal
Oct 13 1336 NS-13 New Shepard W Texas Test 106 W Texas
Oct 26? SR 0.1-1 SR-0.1 Sinop, Turkey Test 130? Black Sea
Oct 29 0727 GT236GM Minuteman 3 Vandenberg LF09 Op. Test 1300? Kwajalein
Oct 29? SR 0.1-2 SR-0.1 Sinop, Turkey Test 130? Black Sea
Nov 2 1040 DEUCE 3 Black Brant IX White Sands UV Astron 285 White Sands
Nov 17 0550 FTM-44 Target ICBM-T2? Meck, Kwajalein Target 1000? Pacific (intercepted)
Nov 17 0605? FTM-44 KV SM-3 Block IIA DDG-18, Pacific Interceptor 200? FTM-44 interception
Dec 9 RV Yars Plesetsk Op. Test 1000? Kura
Dec 9 RV x 4? Sineva K-18, Barents Sea Op. Test 1000? Kura?
Dec 16 Nudol KV? Nudol' Plesetsk ASAT test 300? Laptev Sea
.-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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