[JSR] Jonathan's Space Report, No. 674
Jonathan McDowell
jcm at planet4589.org
Sun Feb 10 19:48:12 EST 2013
Jonathan's Space Report
No. 674 2013 Feb 1 Somerville, MA USA
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International Space Station
----------------------------
Expedition 34 is underway with commander Kevin Ford and flight engineers
FE-1 Oleg Novitskiy, FE-2 Yevgeniy Tarelkin, FE-4 Roman Romanenko, FE-5
Chris Hadfield, and FE-6 Tom Marshburn. Ferry ship Soyuz TMA-06M is
docked at the Poisk module; Soyuz TMA-07M is at Rassvet; cargo ship
Progress M-17M is at the Zvezda aft port.
Progress M-16M undocked from the Pirs module at 1316 UTC on Feb 9 and
was deorbited over the Pacific Ocean at 1619 UTC with impact of its
debris at 1705 UTC. Progress M-18M is being prepared for launch.
Naro
----
Success for South Korea as the S Korean/Russian KSLV-1 (Naro-1) rocket takes off
from Naro Space Center. After two previous launch failures the rocket is
reported to have placed its payload, STSAT-2C, in orbit. Planned orbit
was 300 x 1500 km x 80 deg; US tracking shows the payload in a 292 x 1511 km x 80.3
deg orbit, essentially perfect given possible different definitions of the
reference sphere. The payload carries a laser reflector array
for geodesy, an ionosphere instrument, and technology experiments.
Naro-1 consists of an Angara-URM first stage built by the Russian
Khrunichev company, and a solid second stage built by South Korea.
KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute for Space Technology (based in
Daejon) developed the satellite and KARI, the Korea Aerospace Research
Institute (Han-guk Hanggong Uju Yeon-guwon) led development the launch vehicle
and carried out the launch.
The fact that a very significant part of the rocket is Russian rather
than S Korean has led to arguments over whether S Korea is now the 13th
(or even just 11th) country to have its own capability to launch into
orbit, or just another tourist paying for the ride.
For the record, my take is that S Korea is nation no. 11-and-a-half,
counting the European Space Agency as a quasi-nation.
Date Entity Satellite Rocket
1. 1957 Oct 4 USSR PS-1 R-7 No. M1-PS
2. 1958 Feb 1 USA Explorer 1 Jupiter-C No. RS-29
3. 1965 Nov 26 France A-1 Diamant A No. 1
4. 1970 Feb 11 Japan Ohsumi Lambda-4S-5
5. 1970 Apr 24 China DFH-1 Chang Zheng 1 No. 601904
6. 1971 Oct 28 UK Prospero Black Arrow R-3
7. 1979 Dec 24 ESA CAT-1 Ariane VO1
8. 1980 Jul 18 India Rohini RS-1 SLV-3-E1
9. 1988 Sep 19 Israel 'Ofeq-1 Shaviyt
9 1/2 1995 Aug 31 Ukraine Sich Tsiklon-3 No. 801
10. 2009 Feb 2 Iran Omid Safir OES.0002
11. 2012 Dec 12 N Korea KMS 3-2 Unha-3
11 1/2 2013 Jan 30 S Korea STSAT-2C Naro-1 No. 3
The Wikipedia page credits Ukraine with a 1991 launch of Soviet/Russian
satellites by a Ukrainian-built rocket integrated in the USSR and
launched by the Soviet UNKS space troops; I don't think this should
count. The Sich launch was a Ukrainian built and owned satellite
launched by a Ukrainian built rocket which was launched by space troops
of the Russian Federation - I am inclined to count this one to Ukraine
but it's still arguable.
I consider the Russian Federation as the successor state of the USSR and
don't count it separately. Sea Launch, of course, is another tricky case
- I would count it as mostly Russian.
France's first launch was from Algerian territory; its first orbital launch from
French territory was on 1970 Mar 10. The UK launch was from Australian territory.
TDRS
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NASA's new-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS K, was
launched on Jan 31 by a Lockheed Martin/ULA Atlas V 401 from Cape
Canaveral. The new TDRS is based on the Boeing/El Segundo HS-601
spacecraft bus. Atlas flight AV-036 entered a 183 x 24854 km x 26.5 deg
parking orbit 18 min after launch, according to data provided by Justin
Ray (spaceflightnow.com). The second burn at 0328 UTC reached a 4336 x
35791 km x 25.7 deg orbit and the Centaur separated at 0334 UTC. TDRS K
will use its R-4D propulsion system to reach geostationary orbit and
become the operational TDRS 11. By Feb 10, TDRS K was in a 35422 x 35787
km x 7.1 deg orbit over 150 deg West, drifting east at 2 deg/day.
Sea Launch
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A major blow to Sea Launch as their Zenit-3SL launch vehicle failed on
Feb 1. The rocket took off from the Odyssey floating launch platform at
154W, 0N on the equator, but did not follow the correct trajectory
because of a hydraulic pump failure 4 seconds after launch. The
propulsion was shut down about 24 seconds after launch, with the vehicle
falling in the Pacific at 56 seconds after launch, according to
information on the Novosti Kosmonavtiki forum. Intelsat's IS-27
communications satellite was aboard. IS-27 carried Ku and C band comms
payloads as well as a UHF payload which was to be used by the Italian
government.
Globalstar
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Six Globalstar low orbit mobile-phone satellites were placed in a 918 x
926 km x 52.0 deg orbit by an Arianespace/Starsem Soyuz-2-1A rocket with
a Fregat upper stage on Feb 6. The Soyuz third stage was suborbital,
and the Fregat stage was deorbited shortly after deploying the satellites.
The Globalstar satellite serial numbers are based on preliminary
information given on the website nasaspaceflight.com and are subject to
revision.
Ariane mission VA212
--------------------
Arianespace flew Ariane 5ECA launcher L568 on mission VA212 from Kourou on Feb 7,
placing two communications satellite in geostationary transfer orbit. The EPC 568
core stage flew a -995 x 157 x 6.0 deg path into the Atlantic; the ESC-A
upper stage put the two satellites and the Sylda adapter into a 262 x 35830 km x 6 deg
GTO.
Amazonas 3 is a Loral 1300 satellite with a launch mass of 6265 kg,
providing C and Ku band Hispamar service. Hispamar Satelites SA is a
joint venture of the Spanish Hispasat company's Brazilian subsidiary
and Brazilian carrier Oi/Telemar; the satellite is owned by the Hispasat
Group based in Madrid and is considered a Spanish satellite.
Azerspace is operated by Azercosmos for the Azerbaijan Ministry of
Communications and Information Technologies; some capacity will also be
used by Measat of Malaysia to provide services to Africa, and Measat
calls the satellite Africasat-1A.
2012 DA14
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Minor planet 2012 DA14, a 45-meter rock in a 0.9 x 1.1 AU x 10.3 deg solar orbit,
will pass about 27700 km from Earth at 1926 UTC on 2013 Feb 15 in a hyperbolic
27673 x -61552 km x 86.2 deg orbit (the negative apogee is a formal value derived
from continuation of the standard definition). It will pass lunar orbit inbound
at about 0240 UTC Feb 15, and outbound at 1200 UTC Feb 16.
I have compared the rock's trajectory with that of all tracked artificial Earth
satellites for which current orbital elements are available; no satellites are at
risk, with the closest approaches at 2000 km or more for inert space junk:
2013 Feb 15 1926UTC 1950 km from (27046 1989-006AB rocket debris) at 27500 km over 94E 7S
2013 Feb 15 1930UTC 3560 km from (12546 1981-057C Ariane CAT03) at alt 24200 km over 96E 3S
2013 Feb 15 1932UTC 3970 km from (27405 1990-065W CRRES canister) at alt 25300 km over 95E 1S
2013 Feb 15 1955UTC 2590 km from (13666 1982-110E PAM-D rocket stage) at alt 31500 km over 88E 15N
2013 Feb 15 2003UTC 3910 km from (26763 1965-108AS rocket debris) at 27800 km over 93E 23N
2013 Feb 15 2006UTC 4140 km from (27794 1965-108BJ rocket debris) at 28700 km over 84E 25N
2013 Feb 15 2013UTC 4400 km from (25330 1998-027D Blok-2BL rocket stage) at 33468 km over 95E 28N
and for active satellites within 8500 km or less:
2013 Feb 15 1930UTC 8030 km from (25030 1997-067A USAF GPS SVN38) at 19850 km over 93E 2S
2013 Feb 15 1934UTC 8150 km from (28082 2003-052A Chinese ZX-20) at 35808 km over 98E 0N
2013 Feb 15 1935UTC 8460 km from (25460 1998-049A Singapore-Taiwan-1) at 35740 km over 100E 1N
2013 Feb 15 1935UTC 7960 km from (27603 2002-057A New Skies NSS 6) at 35795 km over 95E 0N
2013 Feb 15 1935UTC 8040 km from (27714 2003-013A Indian Insat 3A) at 35800 km over 93E 0N
2013 Feb 15 1939UTC 8250 km from (27516 2002-042B JAXA Kodama ) at 35800 km over 91E 2N
* 2013 Feb 15 1940UTC 7710 km from (24880 1997-036A Japanese Superbird C) at 35780 km over 93E 3N
2013 Feb 15 1942UTC 7960 km from (26635 2000-080A NRO USA 155) at 35790 km over 90E 7N
2013 Feb 15 1943UTC 8200 km from (26388 2000-034A NASA TDRS 8) at 35790 km over 89E 4N
2013 Feb 15 1945UTC 7880 km from (25050 1997-071B Indonesian Cakrawarta 1) at 35820 km over 90E 6N
2013 Feb 15 1951UTC 8190 km from (23613 1995-035B NASA TDRS 7) at 35900 km over 86E 9N
2013 Feb 15 1952UTC 7830 km from (20355 1989-090B NRO USA 48) at 36900 km over 91E 11N
These calculations are approximate and I would welcome hearing from anyone who does more
accurate computations which could correct or improve these predictions.
Table of Recent (orbital) Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.
Dec 2 0202 Pleiades 1B Soyuz ST-A/Fregat Kourou ELS Imaging 68A
Dec 3 2044 Eutelsat 70B Zenit-3SL SL Odyssey Comms 69A
Dec 8 1313 Yamal 402 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC39/200 Comms 70A
Dec 11 1803 X-37B OTV-3 Atlas V 501 Canaveral SLC41 Spaceplane 71A
Dec 12 0049 Kwangmyongsong-3 F2 Unha-3 Sohae Test 72A
Dec 18 1612 Gokturk 2 Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Imaging 73A
Dec 19 1212 Soyuz TMA-07M Soyuz-FG Baykonur LC1 Spaceship 74A
Dec 19 2149 Skynet 5D ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 75A
Mexsat-Bicentenario) Comms 75B
Jan 15 1625 Kosmos-2482 ) Rokot Plesetsk LC133/3 Comms 01A
Kosmos-2483 ) Comms 01B
Kosmos-2484 ) Comms 01C
Jan 27 0440 JSE Reda-4 ) H-2A 202 Tanegashima Radar 02A
Jissho eisei ) Imaging 02B
Jan 30 0700 STSAT-2C Naro Naro Space Ctr Geod/Tech 03A
Jan 31 0148 TDRS 11 Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Comms 04A
Feb 1 0656 Intelsat IS-27 Zenit-3SL SL Odyssey, Pacific Comms F01
Feb 6 1604 Globalstar M078 ) Soyuz-2-1A Baykonur LC31/6 Comms 05A
Globalstar M087 ) Comms 05B
Globalstar M093 ) Comms 05C
Globalstar M094 ) Comms 05D
Globalstar M095 ) Comms 05E
Globalstar M096 ) Comms 05F
Feb 7 2136 Amazonas 3 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 06A
Azerspace ) Comms 06B
Suborbital launches
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NASA launched a Terrier / Improved Orion from Wallops on Jan 29 to test new lithium
release experiments. The lithium clouds glow after release and allow scientists
to track upper atmosphere winds.
The VISIONS payload, the first launch of a Talos-Terrier-Oriole-Nihka rocket,
was launched into an aurora on Feb 7 from the Poker Flat Research Range near
Fairbanks, Alaska. The rocket replaces the Black Brant XII (Talos-Terrier-Black Brant V-Nihka)
as the highest-apogee suborbital research vehicle in NASA's sounding rocket stable.
Table of Recent (suborbital) Launches
----------------------------------
Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km
Dec 8 2100 AEB VS30/O V10 VS-30/Orion Alcantara Ionosphere 428
Dec 13 0520 NASA 36.283UH Black Brant IX White Sands XR Astron 257?
Dec 17 0700 S-520-28 S-520 Uchinoura Micrograv 312
Dec 20 0351 Prithvi RV Prithvi II Chandipur IC3 Op Test 100?
Jan 26 2200 EKV CTV-01 GBI Vandenberg LF23 Test flight 1000?
Jan 27 0810 RV BO-5/K-15 Visakhapatnam? Test flight 300?
Jan 27 1210? Target RV DF-21? Jiuquan? Target 200?
Jan 27 1210? Interceptor DF-21? Urumqi? ABM Test 100?
Jan 28? Pishgam Pishgam? Semnan? Life Sci 120
Jan 29 2250 NASA 41.107GT Terrier Imp.Ori. Wallops Island Atmos. Sci 130?
Feb 7 0821 NASA 49.001UE T-T Oriole N. Poker Flat Auroral 754
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| Jonathan McDowell | phone : (617) 495-7176 |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | jcm at cfa.harvard.edu |
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