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Vol. 39 No.3, December 2013 Editor: Jos Heyman FBIS In this issue: Satellite Update 3 Cancelled Projects: SLOMAR 4 News Artemis 2 Baikonour 3 Chang'e-3 6 Cygnus-2 3 Dnepr 1 9 Dreamchaser 6 DX-1 11 EDRS-C 2 FUEGO 6 GSat-15 3 GSat-16 3 Hylas 2 Made in Russia 7 Minotaur 1 7 O3b 6 OASIS 4 Phoenix 7 Planck 3 SkySat-1 and -2 2 Tiangong-4 11 Vega 7 VEX 3 OASIS Node-1 (courtesy Space Times) TIROS SPACE INFORMATION SkySat-1 and -2 86 Barnevelder Bend, Southern River WA 6110, Australia Tel + 61 8 9398 1322 (e-mail: [email protected]) The Tiros Space Information (TSI) - News Bulletin is published to promote the scientific exploration and commercial application of space through the dissemination of current news and historical facts. In doing so, Tiros Space Information continues the traditions of the Western Australian Branch of the Astronautical Society of Australia (1973-1975) and the Astronautical Society of Western Australia (ASWA) (1975-2006). The News Bulletin can be received worldwide by e-mail subscription only. Subscriptions can be requested by sending an e-mail address to [email protected]. Tiros Space Information reserves the right to refuse any subscription request without the need to provide a reason. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editor or Tiros Space Information. All material contained in this publication may be reproduced provided due acknowledgment is made. Calling card... In a recent article that I drafted for the on-line Sat Magazine, I predicted that by the end of this calendar year a total of 192 satellites were to have been launched, the highest ever for a single year since spaceflight began in 1957. With the launches of a Minotaur 1 and Dnepr during November 2013, this figure is getting closer to reality with these launches placing, respectively, a staggering 29 and 33 satellites in orbit. The first two satellites for Skybox Imaging are to be launched in February 2014 from This high number is particularly attributable to about 75 so called cubesats that have been Baikonour on a Soyuz Fregat launch vehicle. launched during the year. This increase in the number of cubesats is a manifestation of, on Known as SkySat-1 and -2, these satellite will provide high resolution imageries for one hand, the miniaturization of electronic equipment and, on the other hand, the affordability commercial users. of the cubesat concept to small operators and educational institutions. It is a trend that, To obtain the 1 m resolution imagery the satellites are equipped with a unique camera to beyond doubt, will continue in the future. gather data from the sensor. Whilst cubesats were initially used as a learning tool for students at universities, there is now an increasing use of cubesats for technology demonstrations by commercial companies. Artemis, Hylas, EDRS-C The British Avanti company has purchased the Artemis data relay satellite from the European Jos Heyman Space Agency. Launched on 12 July 2001 Artemis demonstrated new communications techniques and services. With the ESA programme completed it is estimated that the satellite still has three years of useful life and originally it was intended to retire it in 2014 and place it in a ‘retirement’ orbit. Avanti will use the satellite to maintain a Ka-band broadband business to consumers, governments and businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The sale, at a nominal amount, includes the rights to the 21.5 oE geostationary slot as well as the use of the satellite in mid-2014 when ESA wants to use it during the ATV-5 mission to ISS. Avanti currently uses the Hylas-1 and -2 satellites launched, respectively, on 26 November 2010 and 2 August 2012. Hylas-3 is planned for launch in 2015 and will be a payload carried on the ESA proposed European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS)-C satellite that will be located at 31 oE in 2015. Tiros Space Information – News Bulletin, December 2013, page 2 Satellite Update VEX Launches in October 2013 In the development of its Tronador 2 small satellite launch vehicle, Argentina’s National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE) intends to undertake a series of six test launches Int.Des. Name Launch date Launch vehicle Country Notes identified as VEX. 2013 037J SJ-15 sub-sat 18-Oct-2013 --- China Ejected from SJ-15 The first test flight, designated VEX-1, is expected in the coming months. It will take place 2013 057A SJ-16 25-Oct-2013 CZ 4B China Technology from the Base Naval Puerto Belgrano, Punta Alta and is expected to reach an altitude of 16 2013 058A Sirius FM-6 25-Oct-2013 Proton M/Briz M USA Communications km. VEX-1 will be a one stage vehicle with a length of 14.5 m. 2013 059A YW-18 29-Oct-2013 CZ 2C China Military recon. VEX-2, to be launched later in 2014, will be a two stage vehicle, whereas VEX-3 and -4, scheduled for 2015 and 2016, will carry more powerful engines. The final test, VEX-6, will take Other updates place in 2016 as well and is expected to reach an altitude of 80 km. After these test launches the Tronador II will be launched in 2016. Int . Des. Name Notes 2005 011A XSS-11 Re-entered 12 November 2013 2007 006A OE-Astro Re-entered 25 October 2013 2013 051A Cygnus OrbD- Undocked on 22 Oct 2013 and re-entered on 23 Oct 2013 Cygnus-2 1 The Cygnus-2 flight to ISS scheduled for 15 December 2013 will carry 33 cubesats which will be deployed in early 2014 with the NanoRack Cubesat deployers located in the airlock of the Planck Kibo module. These cubesats are: The European Space Agency turned off the transmitters on the Planck spacecraft on 23 • SkyCube, a 1U cubesat developed by Southern Stars and funded by thousands of October 2013. Launched on 14 May 2009 Planck investigated the models describing the sponsors and mobile app users around the world. Its objective is to facilitate global grass- origin and evolution of the early universe. Over an initial period of 15 months it collected the roots public outreach and educational effort whose purpose is to make space exploration cosmic background radiation, a light emitted shortly after the Big Bang. In February 2010 a accessible as never before by allowing participants to send simple broadcasts - "tweets second all-sky survey was commenced. from space". The satellite is also fitted with a camera for on-demand pictures of Earth. At the end of the 90 days mission SkyCube will inflate an onboard balloon that will make it visible to the unaided eyes and assist in de-orbiting the satellite cleanly through atmospheric drag; Baikonour • UAPSAT, a 1U cubesat developed by Universidad Alas Peruanas as a student educational project. Once in orbit the satellite can be accessed by radio amateurs and Kazakhstan’s space agency has announced it will consider offers from western countries for UAPSAT will test the behaviour of electronic design communication, orientation and the use of the Baikonour launch facility. The cosmodrome, established by the former USSR stabilization and verify the implementation of the technology and methodology used in the and transferred to Kazakhstan in 1994, is currently being rented by Russia, an agreement that manufacture of the satellite; does not run out until 2050. • 28 Flock 1 3U cubesats, the first generation of an Earth observation constellation that is being developed by Planet Labs. They will be placed in a 400-kilometer circular orbits, providing 3-5 m resolution images of the Earth from the equator to 52 o latitude; GSat-15 and -16 • LitSat, a 1U cubesat developed by the Lithuanian Space Federation. The satellite will carry an onboard VGA camera and a GPS receiver; India’s space agency has booked Ariane 5 launches for its GSat-15 and -16 communications • LituanicaSAT-1 which will carry a VGA camera, a GPS receiver and a voice transponder. satellites. The satellite has been developed at the Vilnius University (Lithuania) and has been GSat-15 will be located at 93.5oE and will be fitted with 18 Ku band transponders as well as named after the aircraft named Lituanica that flew across the Atlantic Ocean 80 years two channels for India’s Gagan navigational system. ago; and GSat-16 will have 12 Ku band and 36 C band transponders and will be located at 55oE. • Ardusat-2, which is similar to the Ardusats that were sent to ISS earlier this year. Both satellites were originally scheduled for 2014 launches by India’s GSLV launch vehicle. Tiros Space Information – News Bulletin, December 2013, page 3 OASIS Cancelled Projects: SLOMAR By Jos Heyman (with some help from the correspondents of the Secretprojects forum) In 1959 the US Air Force started the Space Logistics, Operations, Maintenance and Rescue (SLOMAR) study to generate preliminary designs of crewed space vehicles that could support manned military space stations. SLOMAR was one of ten studies that were part of the USAF’s ‘Space Development Planning Study’ that also included studies covering, amongst others, satellite interception, global surveillance, strategic orbital systems (bombardment satellites), lunar operations, and recoverable orbital launch systems. In November 1959 a Request for Proposals was issued and ten contractors responded. Of these only Lockheed, General Dynamics, Douglas, Martin and Norair (Northrop) received further funding in June 1960 to the sum of $ 120,000 each. This was to cover studies up to June 1961. It was soon obvious to the contractors that the funding was insufficient to study all areas concerned and each contractor emphasized some aspects only.