[JSR] Jonathan's Space Report, No. 706
Jonathan McDowell
jcm at planet4589.org
Mon Dec 8 21:07:21 EST 2014
Jonathan's Space Report
No. 706 2014 Dec 9 Somerville, MA
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Erratum
--------
Henry Spencer points out that I omitted the Stardust flyby at 181 km of
comet 9P/Tempel 1 on 2011 Feb 15 at 0439UTC from my list of comet
missions.
International Space Station
---------------------------
Expedition 42 continues with commander Barry Wilmore, FE-1 Aleksandr Samokutyaev and FE-2 Elena Serova.
Soyuz TMA-15M was launched at 2101 UTC Nov 23 with Anton Shkaplerov, Terry Virts and Samantha
Cristoforetti. It docked with the Rassvet at 0249 UTC Nov 24.
On Nov 28 the Japanese JEM-RMS robot arm extracted the SSIKLOPS (Cyclops) deployer and its attached
SpinSat satellite from the Kibo airlock and positioned it for deployment. The Cyclops then ejected
SpinSat into orbit (at 1430:42 UTC, per information from the principal investigator at NRL.)
SpinSat is a 50 kg Naval Research Lab satellite to test new microthrusters for attitude control.
SpinSat has been cataloged as 1998-067FL.
Orion EFT-1
-----------
Exploration Flight Test 1 was carried out on Dec 5. EFT-1 used an Orion Crew Module (probably
around 9400 kg) with a LAS escape tower atop a dummy Service Module with jettisonable side panels,
which in turn is fixed to the OSA (Orion-to-Stage-Adapter). This vehicle was mounted on the second
stage of a Delta IV Heavy vehicle, Delta 369.
Delta 369's second stage was inserted into a 185 x 888 km x 28.8 deg orbit at 1222 UTC, 17 minutes after
launch from Cape Canaveral. The stage made a second burn at 1400 UTC, entering a -37 x 5807 km
orbit; apogee was at 1510 UTC. At 1528 UTC the Orion CM separated from the stage. At 1550 UTC
Delta 369 made a third burn of unknown delta-V, accelerating its reentry which occurred at 1616 UTC.
The Orion CM made a small RCS adjust burn at 1602 UTC and entered the atmosphere at 8.9 km/s at 1618 UTC,
landing at 1629 UTC off Baja California at 23.60N 116.46W. It was recovered by USS Anchorage.
Three objects were cataloged by USSTRATCOM. Object 40331 (2014-077C),
seen in the SECO-1 orbit during the mission, may be short-lived debris
from the Delta or even a bookkeeping error, since no new elsets have
been released since the flight.
Reentry Return Flight Vehicle Service Module
--------------------------------------------
China's latest lunar probe, now referred to as the Lunar Exploration
Program Phase 3's Return Reentry Flight Vehicle Service Module (Tanyue
gongcheng san qi zai ru fanhui feixingqi fuwu cang), entered a 20000 x
40000 x 35000 km Lissajous orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point
on Nov 28. EML2 is 61000 km from the Moon and 446000 km from Earth's
center; the probe makes two orbits around the point each month.
Kosmos-2499
-----------
AMSAT report that Kosmos-2499 activated an amateur radio payload, RS-47,
on Nov 30. Kosmos-2499 remains in a similar orbit to the Briz-M rocket
stage after its Nov 9 rendezvous, but analysis by Bob Christy reported
at twitter.com/zarya_info reveals that the two satellites are now
drifting slowly apart. The earlier mystery satellite in the same
series, Kosmos-2491, has also activated an amateur radio payload (RS-46).
Yaogan 24
---------
China launched Yaogan 24 on Nov 20 into a 630 x 652 km SSO. The
satellite is an imaging spy satellite in the same series as Yaogan 2, 4,
7, 11. The CZ-2D second stage was deorbited after deploying the
satellite.
Kuaizhou 2
----------
The second launch of the Chinese 2nd Artillery's operationally
responsive Kuaizhou (Swift Boat) launch vehicle on Nov 21 placed
Kuaizhou-2 in a 284 x 300 km x 96.6 deg orbit, with 1300 local time
descending node. Kuaizhou 1 was launched to a similar orbit with 1100
LTDN in Sep 2013; after regular maintenance burns for a year, during
Oct 2014 Kuaizhou 1's orbit was raised to 365 x 390 km.
Glonass-K No. 12
----------------
The second Glonass-K satellite, vehicle No. 12, was launched by Soyuz-2-1B
from Plesetsk on Nov 30. The Glonass-K series are the third generation
of Russian high orbit navigation satellites, following the original Uragan/Glonass and
their successors, the Uragan-M/Glonass-M vehicles.
The fun with inconsistently assigned Kosmos numbers continues. In the
latest episode, the Glonass-K vehicle has apparently been assigned the
cover name Kosmos-2502. If so, Kosmos-2501 is most likely assigned to
the military Luch satellite launched Sep 27. However, there are
suggestions that the statement at
http://www.sdcm.ru/smglo/news?version=rus&repdate&site=extern is
incorrect and will be amended so that the Glonass satellite is 2501.
Hayabusa 2
----------
Japan's Hayabusa-2 space probe was launched into solar orbit on Dec 2 by
the H-IIA-26 rocket. The probe is intended to rendezvous with asteroid
1999 JU3, survey it from orbit, touch down briefly to sample the
surface, and return samples to Earth. Five small, beanbag-like 'target
markers' can be ejected onto the surface in advance to help guide the
vehicle. Hayabusa-2 also carries three 1 kg class lander/hopper devices,
Minerva II-1a, II-1b and II-2, which will be ejected onto the surface,
together with a 10 kg German-built lander called MASCOT. Hayabusa-2 will
also eject a 'Self-Contained Impactor' (SCI) device onto the surface. As
the parent spacecraft scoots off to the side it will further eject the
DCAM-3 camera subsatellite, which will monitor detonation of SCI's high
explosive, intended to ram the SCI's body into the asteroid and generate
an artificial crater.
The second stage of the H-IIA deployed three further spacecraft into
solar orbit. The most unusual is DESPATCH (ArtSat-2) from Tama Art
University. The yellowish, tapered-helix assembly is intended mainly as
a work of art although it also carries an amateur radio communications
payload with a limited range. Shin'en-2 has a more ambitious
communications payload designed to demonstrate deep space communications
with a small spacecraft, and PROCYON is a small spacecraft experiment to
test interplanetary navigation with an ion engine. PROCYON will be sent
to a different asteroid from Hayabusa-2; which one hasn't been decided
yet, and will depend on the actual trajectory it's been launched into.
Launched into a 245 x -50902 km x 29.9 deg hyperbola with C3=21.03
km**2/s**2, Hayabusa-2 and its fellow travellers left the Earth-Moon
system on Dec 6, passing the distance of the L1 point at around 2030
UTC, and antered a 0.915 x 1.089 AU x 6.8 deg solar orbit. (These
numbers are based on the expected prelaunch trajectory given on JPL Horizons).
Ariane VA221
------------
Arianespace flight VA221 used Ariane 5ECA vehicle 575, delivering two
communications satellites into geotransfer orbit. GSAT-16 for the Indian
Space Research Organization has Ku and C band communications payloads
for increased capacity at 55 deg E. DirecTV 14 for DirecTV is an SSL-MDA 1300
satellite with a mass of 6300 kg full. It will be stationed at 99 deg W
for television broadcasting.
CBERS 4
-------
China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 4 (Zhong-badiqiu ziyuan weixing 04 xing)
was launched on Dec 7 into a 741 x 752 km x 98.5 deg orbit with 10:30 local
time descending node. The uprated ZY-1 class satellite replaced CBERS 3
which was lost in a launch failure one year ago.
Note: I have enhanced the table of orbital launches. It's extra work, so I don't promise
to keep doing it this way. Catalog numbers beginning with S refer to the US space surveillance
catalog; other catalog numbers (e.g. A and F designations) are my own auxiliary catalogs.
Table of Recent (orbital) Launches
----------------------------------
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
km km deg
Oct 7 0516 Himawari-8 H-IIA Tanegashima Weather 60A S40267 35783 x 35789 x 0.0 GEO 141E
Oct 15 2002 IRNSS-1C PSLV-XL Sriharikota FLP Navigation 61A S40269 35692 x 35881 x 4.9 GEO 83E
Oct 16 2144 Intelsat IS-30 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 62A S40271 35776 x 35796 x 0.0 GEO 95W
ARSAT-1 ) Comms 62B S40272 35736 x 35750 x 0.0 GEO 72W drift
Oct 20 0631 Yaogan 22 Chang Zheng 4C Taiyuan Imaging? 63A S40275 1198 x 1207 x 100.3 1330LT SSO
Oct 21 1509 Ekspress AM-6 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC81/24 Comms 64A S40277 32617 x 39146 x 0.6 GEO 140E drift
Oct 23 1800 RRFV ) Chang Zheng 3C/G2 Xichang Lunar probe 65A S40283 -1281 x404729 x 30.5
RRFV Service Module) Lunar probe 65 A08292 Earth-Moon L2 point
4M ) Amateur radio 65B S40284 86169 x381280 x 61.7
Oct 27 0659 SJ-11 08 Chang Zheng 2C Jiuquan Surveillance? 66A S40286 686 x 704 x 98.2 1315LT SSO
Oct 28 2220 SS Deke Slayton ) Antares 130 Wallops MARS 0A Cargo F02 F01411 -6378 x 0.1 x 51.6
RACE ) Science F02 F01414 -6378 x 0.1 x 51.6
Arkyd-3 ) Tech F02 F01415 -6378 x 0.1 x 51.6
GOMX-2 ) Comms AIS F02 F01442 -6378 x 0.1 x 51.6
Flock-1d 1 to 26 ) Imaging F02 F01416/F01441
Oct 29 0709 Progress M-25M Soyuz-2-1a Baykonur LC31 Cargo 67A S40292 Docked to ISS Pirs
Oct 29 1721 GPS SVN 69 Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Navigation 68A S40294 20155 x 20211 x 55.0
Oct 30 0143 Meridian No. 17L Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat Plesetsk LC43/4 Comms 69A S40296 959 x 39395 x 62.8
Nov 6 0735 ASNARO ) Dnepr Yasniy Imaging 70A S40298 505 x 507 x 97.5 1100LT SSO
Hodoyoshi-1 ) Imaging 70B S40299 503 x 524 x 97.5 1100LT SSO
Kinshachi-1 ) Imaging 70C S40300 503 x 537 x 97.5 1055LT SSO
Tsukushi ) Imaging 70D S40301 502 x 552 x 97.5 1055LT SSO
Tsubame ) XR Astron 70E S40302 502 x 566 x 97.5 1055LT SSO
Nov 14 1853 Yaogan 23 Chang Zheng 2C Taiyuan Radar imaging 71A S40305 510 x 513 x 97.3 0200LT SSO
Nov 20 0712 Yaogan 24 Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Imaging 72A S40310 628 x 653 x 97.9 1330LT SSO
Nov 21 0637 Kuaizhou-2 Kuaizhou Jiuquan Imaging 73A S40311 275 x 316 x 96.6 1300LT SSO
Nov 23 2101 Soyuz TMA-15M Soyuz-FG Baykonur LC31 Spaceship 74A S40312 Docked to ISS Rassvet
Nov 28 1430 SpinSat - ISS, LEO Tech 98-067FL S40314 405 x 415 x 51.7
Nov 30 2152 Glonass-K1 No. 12L Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat Plesetsk LC43/4 Navigation 75A S40315 19153 x 19201 x 64.8
Dec 3 0422 Hayabusa-2 ) H-IIA 202 Tanegashima Y1 Space probe 76A S40319 245 x -50912 x 29.9
Shin'en-2 ) Comms tech 76B S40320 245 x -50912 x 29.9
DESPATCH ) Art satellite 76C S40321 245 x -50912 x 29.9
PROCYON ) Space probe 76D S40322 245 x -50912 x 29.9
MASCOT ) 76 A08308 Attached to S40319
Minerva II-1a ) 76 A08305 Attached to S40319
Minerva II-1b ) 76 A08306 Attached to S40319
Minerva II-2 ) 76 A08307 Attached to S40319
SCI ) 76 A08309 Attached to S40319
DCAM-3 ) 76 A08310 Attached to S40319
Target Marker 1) 76 A08311 Attached to S40319
Target Marker 2) 76 A08312 Attached to S40319
Target Marker 3) 76 A08313 Attached to S40319
Target Marker 4) 76 A08314 Attached to S40319
Target Marker 5) 76 A08315 Attached to S40319
Dec 5 1205 Orion EFT-1 Delta 4H Canaveral SLC37B Spaceship test 77A S40329 -37 x 5809 x 28.8
Dec 6 2040 DirecTV-14 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 78B S40333 6443 x 35792 x 3.1
GSAT-16 ) Comms 78A S40332 15998 x 35774 x 1.1
Dec 7 0326 CBERS 4 Chang Zheng 4B Taiyuan LC9 Imaging 79A S40336 742 x 751 x 98.5 1030LT SSO
Table of Recent (suborbital) Launches
----------------------------------
Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km
Oct 7 1310 SR-10 Sounding Rocket Jiupeng Ionosphere 286
Oct 12 0427 MDA Target? Terrier Lynx Wallops I Target? 150?
Oct 17 0708 FTX-20 MRBM-T3? Kauai Target 300?
Oct 23 1333 SL-9 SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America Micrograv 124
Oct 29 1727 RVs Bulava K-535, Barents Sea Test 1000?
Nov 1 0620 RV Topol'-M Plesetsk Test 1000?
Nov 5 RV Sineva K-114, Barents Sea Test 1000?
Nov 6 1907 RAISE 2 Black Brant IX White Sands Solar 300?
Nov 6 2203 FTM-25 Target Terrier Oriole? Kauai Target 150?
Nov 6 2206? Aegis KV SM-3-IB DDG-53, Pacific Interceptor 150?
Nov 9 0410 Agni RV Agni 2 Wheeler I. Test 300?
Nov 13 RV Shaheen 2 Somniani? Test 300?
Nov 17 RV Shaheen 1A Somniani? Test 150?
Nov 28 RVs Bulava K-550, Barents Sea Test 1000?
Dec 2 0449 Agni RV Agni 4 Wheeler I. Test 300?
.-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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