WORLD SPACECRAFT DIGEST by Jos Heyman 2013 Version: 1 January 2014 © Copyright Jos Heyman
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WORLD SPACECRAFT DIGEST by Jos Heyman 2013 Version: 1 January 2014 © Copyright Jos Heyman The spacecraft are listed, in the first instance, in the order of their International Designation, resulting in, with some exceptions, a date order. Spacecraft which did not receive an International Designation, being those spacecraft which failed to achieve orbit or those which were placed in a sub orbital trajectory, have been inserted in the date order. For each spacecraft the following information is provided: a. International Designation and NORAD number For each spacecraft the International Designation, as allocated by the International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), has been used as the primary means to identify the spacecraft. This is followed by the NORAD catalogue number which has been assigned to each object in space, including debris etc., in a numerical sequence, rather than a chronoligical sequence. Normally no reference has been made to spent launch vehicles, capsules ejected by the spacecraft or fragments except where such have a unique identification which warrants consideration as a separate spacecraft or in other circumstances which warrants their mention. b. Name The most common name of the spacecraft has been quoted. In some cases, such as for US military spacecraft, the name may have been deduced from published information and may not necessarily be the official name. Alternative names have, however, been mentioned in the description and have also been included in the index. c. Country/International Agency For each spacecraft the name of the country or international agency which owned or had prime responsibility for the spacecraft, or in which the owner resided, has been included. d. Launch date This is the launch date expressed in UTC. Where a spacecraft has been released from another space vehicle, including the Space Shuttle, the date of release has been used, as it is considered that was the date on which the spacecraft became a separate identity in space rather than on the day it was launched from the Earth. e. Re-entry This refers either to the decay date that the spacecraft burnt up in the atmosphere, or the date on which a controlled recovery took place. In selected cases, as indicated in the text, the re-entry date is the date on which the spacecraft ceased to be an entity in its own right. f. Launch Site Reference to launch site is to a geographical site rather than the named site. For example, the Kennedy Space Centre and Canaveral Air Force Station are both referred to as Cape Canaveral. g. Launch Vehicle Launch vehicles have been designated by their commonly known names. It does not include the launch vehicle’s serial number. h. Orbital parameters The orbital parameters have been obtained from Space-Track.org. For those satellite for which the orbital parameters were not formally published (in particular for US military satellites) estimated orbital parameters based on amateur observations have been shown. In most cases the first orbital parameters were chosen but, where deemed appropriate, the operational orbit has been shown. This is particularly the case with spacecraft in geostationary orbit where reference is made to the geographical longitude over which the spacecraft was placed. Only in selected instances has mention been made of subsequent orbtal parameters due to significant maneuvers as well as relocation in geostationary orbit. i. Details For each spacecraft details have been provided to readily understand the objective of the spacecraft. Information has also been provided about the instruments carried by spacecraft although, as a rule, no reference has been made to basic equipment for telemetry and spacecraft housekeeping. In a number of instances, the progress and results of the flight of a spacecraft have been discussed. Where appropriate, the mass of a spacecraft refers to the empty mass. Where a spacecraft was related to a series of similar spacecraft reference has been made to the detailed description of such a series which has usually been included in the description of the first spacecraft of that series. Details peculiar to a specific member of a series remain, however, with that specific spacecraft. j. Illustrations Illustrations, where provided, are not captioned except where it was deemed necessary to provide essential information on the illustration. The majority of illustrations were obtained from obvious sources such as space agencies, manufacturers, organisations responsible for the respective satellites and launch vehicle operators and are, as far as is known, not subject to copyright. As such, the sources have not been recorded, except in special circumstances. The author would welcome any additional information, comments and suggestions. Jos Heyman 86 Barnevelder Bend Southern River, WA6110 Australia e-mail: [email protected] January 2014 2013 001A (39057) Name: Kosmos-2482 Country: Russia Launch date: 15 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Rokot/Briz KM Orbit: 1473 x 1516 km, inclination: 82.4 ° Rodnik military communications satellite as described for 2005 048B. 2013 001B (39058) Name: Kosmos-2483 Country: Russia Launch date: 15 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Rokot/Briz KM Orbit: 1478 x 1502 km, inclination: 82.4 ° Rodnik military communications satellite as described for 2005 048B. It is believed that this satellite did not become operational. 2013 001C (39059) Name: Kosmos-2484 Country: Russia Launch date: 15 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Rokot/Briz KM Orbit: 1475 x 1514 km, inclination: 82.4 ° Rodnik military communications satellite as described for 2005 048B. 2013 002A (39061) Name: IGS-8A Country: Japan Launch date: 27 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Tanegashima Launch vehicle: H 2A-202 Orbit: 509 x 514 km, inclination: 97.5 ° Military reconnaissance satellite as described for 2003 009B. It has also been referred to as Reda-4 and Radar-4. 2013 002B (39062) Name: IGS-8B Country: Japan Launch date: 27 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Tanegashima Launch vehicle: H 2A Orbit: 512 x 523 km, inclination: 97.5 ° Military reconnaissance satellite as described for 2003 009B. It was a technology demonstration flight for an optical imaging payload. It has also been referred to as Kougaku-5 Demo and Optical-5 Demo. --- Name: Kavoshgar Pishgam Country: Iran Launch date: 28 January 2013 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Semnan Launch vehicle: Fateh K110 (?) Orbit: sub-orbital to 120 km Sub-orbital flight to test the recovery of a Capsule type C that carried a monkey. The monkey, named Aftab, was successfully recovered although at a subsequent press conference a different monkey was shown, casting doubt about the result. 2013 003A (39068) Name: STSAT-2C Country: South Korea Launch date: 30 January 2012 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Naro Launch vehicle: KSLV 1 Orbit: 292 x 1511 km, inclination: 80.3 ° The 91 kg Science and Technology Satellite (STSAT)-2C carried six instruments: 1. the Laser Retro-reflector Array (LRA) to allow the spacecraft to be tracked with centimeter accuracy by satellite laser ranging (SLR) stations; 2. a Langmuir probe to determine the electron temperature, electron density, and electric potential of plasma; 3. the Space Radiation Effects Monitor (SREM) for the measurements and monitoring of the near-earth space environment; and 4. Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA), IR Sensor (IRS), and Femto second Laser Oscillator (FSO) to demonstrate new space technologies. 2013 004A (39070) Name: TDRS-11 Country: USA Launch date: 31 January 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Atlas V-401 Orbit: geostationary at 171 °W TDRS-11 was the first of the next generation of Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) satellites for NASA’s communications relay network. The spacecraft was built by Boeing using the 601HP space platform and was also known as TDRS-K. The 3454 kg satellite was fitted with a steerable, single-access antennas that could simultaneously send and receive high data rate transmissions at S- band and either Ku- or Ka-band frequencies, supporting dual independent two-way communication and making the satellite less susceptible to radio interference. --- Name: Intelsat-27 Int. Agency: Intelsat Launch date: 1 February 2013 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Odyssey Launch vehicle: Zenit 3SL Orbit: failed to orbit Communications satellite owned by Intelsat and built by Boeing using the BSS-702P platform. The 6215 kg satellite was fitted with 20 C band and 20 Ku band transponders. In addition carried a military UHF payload of 20 transponders to complement the existing UFO (UHF Follow-On) and future MUOS (Multi-User Objective System) satellites. Immediately after the launch, the launch vehicle veered off course and the first stage was shut down after 25 seconds. The launch vehicle and satellite dropped into the ocean. The satellite was to have been placed in a geostationary orbit at 55.5 oW. The Odyssey platform was located at 0o, 154 oW. 2013 005A (39072) Name: Globalstar FM-78 Country: USA Launch date: 6 February 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 919 x 926 km, inclination: 52.0 ° Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-19. 2013 005B (39073) Name: Globalstar FM-87 Country: USA Launch date: 6 February 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 917 x 926 km, inclination: 52.0 ° Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-20. 2013 005C (39074) Name: Globalstar FM-93 Country: USA Launch date: 6 February 2013 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 916 x 926 km, inclination: 52.0 ° Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A.