WORLD SPACECRAFT DIGEST by Jos Heyman 2011 Version: 6 July 2016 © Copyright Jos Heyman

2011 001A (37344) Name: Electro L-1 Country: Russia Launch date: 20 January 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Zenit 3F Orbit: geostationary at 76 °E

Elektro L-1 was the first geostationary meteorological satellite developed by Lavochkin as a replacement of the Elektro system as described for 1994 069A and that never became operational. It had a mass of 1766 kg and was also known as Global Operational Meteorological Satellite (GOMS)-2. The satellite carried a Multispectral Scanner covering the visible, near infrared, thermal infrared and the microwave bands with a resolution of 1 km for the infrared and 4 km for the microwave and thermal infrared wavelengths. In addition it carried the GGAK-E Heliophysical Instrument, comprising of seven sensors capable of measuring the influx of charged particles and X-rays. Elektro L satellites also carried a SARSAT-COSPAS emergency call system.

2011 002A (37348) Name: Advanced KH 11-6 Country: USA Launch date: 20 January 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 4 Heavy Orbit: 252 x 1023 km, inclination: 97.9 °

Military reconnaissance satellite as described for 1992 083A. Also known as USA-224, NROL-49, Betty, Improved Crystal and Earth Imaging System (EIS) 3-4. However, the fact that the spacecraft was launched from Vandenberg into a polar orbit, is inconsistent with the Advanced KH 11 classification. Some reference sources have incorrectly linked this satellite to the cancelled NROL-29.

2011 003A (37351) Name: HTV-2 Country: Japan Launch date: 22 January 2011 Re-entry: 30 March 2011 Launch site: Tanegashima Launch vehicle: H 2B-304 Orbit: 350 x 355 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Cargo spacecraft as described for 2009 048A. HTV-2, also known as Kounotori-2, carried 5,300 kg of cargo/supplies to the ISS of which 4000 kg was in the Pressurized Logistics Carrier and 1300 kg on the Unpressurized Logistics Carrier. It included, apart from supplies: 1. the Japanese Kobairo science rack which accommodated the Gradient Heating Furnace (GHF); 2. the Japanese Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR), which carried a number of small experiments as well as the Chamber for Combustion Experiments (CCE); 3. a number of science experiments, including: • Sample Cartridges for the Hicari experiment for the growth of homogeneous SiGe crystals in microgravity; • Sample Cartridges for the Marangoni experiment; • Sample Kit for the Hair experiment, a biomedical analyses of human hair exposed to a long-term space flight; • three cubesats experiments placed in a nanorack developed by Kentucky Space and which are not intended to be flown as separate satellites, including an experiment from Ohio State University (OSU) to investigating the effects of microgravity on noncrystal growth, a payload developed by Valley Christian High (CVH) School in San Jose, CA to investigate growth dynamics of particular plants that might be used for human consumption on extended space missions and a special microscope facility developed by NanoRacks LLC for ongoing on board the ISS for future ISS experiments; 4. the Space Seeds for Asian Future, packages of seeds that were exposed to microgravity and returned to Earth on STS-134 (2011 008A) following which the seeds were distributed to space-related organizations and communities in Asian countries; and 5. two unpressurized orbital replacement units (ORUs) for NASA, the Cargo Transport Container (CTC) and the Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (FHRC).

On 27 January 2011 HTV-2 was docked at the nadir port of the Harmony module of ISS (1998 067A). On 1 February 2011 the Exposed Pallet (EP) was removed and relocated to the Kibo Exposed Facility (JEM-EF). HTV-2 was moved to the Harmony zenith port on 18 February 2011, to make room for the STS-133 docking and Canadarm2 operations associated with STS-133 (2011 008A). On completion of the STS-133 mission the HTV-2 was relocated to the nadir port of Harmony again on 10 March 2011. It undocked on 28 March 2011. During the re-entry the Re-entry Breakup Recorder (REBR) experiment was attached to the spacecraft. This experiment was one of two that were carried by HTV-2 to the space station as cargo. Protected by a heat shield to keep the experiment intact, the US designed REBR autonomously measured, recorded and transmitted temperature, acceleration, rotation rate and other variables during the HTV-2 re-entry. The second REBR carried on HTV-2 was attached to ATV-2 (2011 007A) for a similar purpose.

2011 004A (37359) Name: Progress M-09M Country: Russia Launch date: 28 January 2011 Re-entry: 26 April 2011 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 350 x 355 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Cargo transfer spacecraft as described for 2008 060A. The cargo included the RadioSkaf-2 (1998 067CK) radio amateur satellite which was eventually deployed during an EVA from the space station on 3 August 2011. Progress M-09M docked at the Pirs nadir port of ISS (1998 067A) on 30 January 2011. The flight was also known as ISS-41P. The spacecraft undocked on 22 April 2011.

2011 005A (37362) Name: GEO IK 2-1 Country: Russia Launch date: 1 February 2011 Re-entry: 15 July 2013 Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Rokot Briz KM Orbit: 355 x 933 km, inclination: 99.5 °

Geodesy satellite developed by ISS Reshetnev (formerly NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki, NPO PM). The 1400 kg satellite carried: 1. a SADKO radar altimeter; 2. laser retro reflectors; and 3. a GLONASS and GPS receiver. The satellite was to be placed into a 1000 km orbit but a failure of the second burn of the Briz KM upper stage placed the satellite into an incorrect orbit. The satellite was used for some engineering tests but on 23 February 2011 the sun sensor failed and control of the satellite was lost. The satellite was also known as Kosmos-2470.

2011 006A (37364) Name: RPP-1 Country: USA Launch date: 6 February 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Minotaur 1 Orbit: 1207 x 1227 km, inclination: 90 °

The Rapid Pathfinder Program (RPP)-1, also known as NROL-66 and USA-225, was a technology satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The payload may have included new radar or optical imaging sensors to be employed on the next generation of reconnaissance satellites, as part of a science and technology development effort to lay the groundwork for future systems and improve intelligence collection methods.

2011 007A (37368) Name: ATV-2 Int.Agency: ESA: Launch date: 16 February 2011 Re-entry: 22 June 2011 Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5 ATV Orbit: 348 x 354 km, inclination: 51.6 o

Cargo spacecraft as described for 2008 008A. The spacecraft was named Johannes Kepler. The payload consisted of: 1. 4400 kg of propellant for reboost and attitude control; 2. 860 kg of refuelling propellant for the station’s propulsion system; 3. 100 kg of oxygen and nitrogen (air); and 4. 1760 kg of dry supplies like bags, drawers and fresh food. This made a total of 7120 kg. On 24 February 2011 ATV-2 docked at the rear port of the Zvezda module of ISS (1998 067A). ATV-2 undocked on 21 June 2011.

2011 008A (37371) Name: STS-133 Country: USA Launch date: 24 February 2011 Re-entry: 9 March 2011 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: STS Orbit: 349 x 354 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Crewed spaceflight with astronauts S. Lindsey (Cmdr.), E. Boe (Pilot), P. Whitson, B. Drew, M.Barratt, N. Stott and S. Bowen (all Mission Specialists), using the orbiter Discovery as described for 1981 034A. S. Bowen replaced T. Kopra, who was injured in a bicycle accident in January 2011. The objective was to undertake the International Space Station (ISS)-ULF5 mission. The orbiter carried the Express Logistics Carrier (ELC)-4, as described for 2009 062A, and the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), a modification of the Italian built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)-Leonardo, as described for 2001 010A. At one stage the ISS-ULF5 flight was associated with STS-135. The mission was originally scheduled to be launched on 1 November 2010, but following the discovery of cracks in the external tank’s foam insulation as well as the aluminium body of the tank it was delayed. On 22 December 2010 the orbiter was returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building where all 108 stringers on the external tank were fixed by attaching pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the tops of the stringers located at the external tank’s thrust panel area to increase the structural support of the stringers. The thrust panel areas were located at the attachment points between the tank and the solid rocket boosters, which experience the most stress during the launch. The ELC-4 carried the Heat Rejection Subsystem (HRS) radiator that rejects thermal energy via radiation. Other experiments that were carried by the orbiter were: 1. several Short-duration Research and Station Experiments: • Biology and Biotechnology Mouse Immunology-2 to study the effects of the space environment on mammalian immunology; • Growth and Survival of Colored Fungi in Space (CFS-A), to determine the effect of microgravity and cosmis radiation on the growth and survival of colored fungi species; • Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments (SEITE) as described for STS-126 (2008 059A); • Sleep ‐Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure during Spaceflight – Short (Sleep ‐Short) as described for STS-120 (2007 050A); • Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust Experiments (SIMPLEX) as described for STS-84 (1997 023A); • Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO), as described for STS-111 (2002 028A); • Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI) as described for STS-121 (2006 028A); 2. a number of experiments for installation on ISS: • Biomedical Analyses of Human Hair Exposed to a Long-term Space Flight (Hair) to examine the effect of long-duration spaceflight on gene expression and trace element metabolism in the human body; • Dynamism of Auxin Efflux Facilitators Responsible for Gravity-regulated Growth and Development in Cucumber (CsPINs) using cucumber seedlings to analyze the effect of gravity on the seeds; • Mycological Evaluation of Crew Exposure to ISS Ambient Air (Myco) as described for STS-130 (2010 004A); • International Space Station Ham Radio (ISS Ham Radio) to perform ham radio contacts; • Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Education Payload Observation 6 (JAXA EPO 6) to demonstrate artistic activities in the space station’s Kibo laboratory to enlighten the general public about microgravity research; • Bisphosphonates as a Countermeasure to Space Flight Induced Bone Loss (Bisphosphonates) to determine whether antiresorptive agents, will protect station crew members from the regional decreases in bone mineral; • Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2 (ELITE-S2) to investigate the connection between brain, visualization and motion in the absence of gravity; • Integrated Cardiovascular to quantify the extent, time course and clinical significance of cardiac atrophy, or decrease in the size of the heart muscle, associated with long-duration space flight; • Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) an in-flight study of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight; • Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect Against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery (Pro K) an evaluation of a dietary countermeasure to decrease bone loss of astronauts; • National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions; • Evaluation of Maximal Oxygen Uptake and Submaximal Estimates of VO2max Before, During, and After Long Duration International Space Station Missions (VO2max) to document changes in maximum oxygen uptake for crew members on board; • Cardiovascular Health Consequences ofLong-Duration Space Flight (Vascular) studies the impact of space flight on the blood vessels of long-duration space explorers; • Mental Representation of Spatial Cues During Space Flight (3D-Space) to investigate the effects of exposure to microgravity on the mental representation of spatial cues by astronauts during and after spaceflight; • Effect of Long-term Microgravity Exposure on Cardiac Autonomic Function by Analyzing 24- hours Electrocardiogram (BiologicalRhythms) to examine the effect of long-term microgravity exposure on cardiac autonomic function; • Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) to test the hypothesis that materials in microgravity burn as well as, if not better than, the same material in normal gravity; • Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT )-6, a suite of investigations that photograph randomized colloidal samples in microgravity to determine their resulting structure over time; • Structure and Liftoff In Combustion Experiment (SLICE) to investigate the structure of lifting and lifted flames whereby the flame detaches from the nozzle and stabilizes at a downstream position; • Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity 2 (Nanoskeleton-2) to clarify the effect of gravity on oil flotation, sedimentation and convection on crystals generated in Microgravity; • Boiling eXperiment Facility – Microheater Array Boiling Experiment (BXF-MABE) to obtain data to understand the process involved with boiling in gravity and microgravity; • Boiling Experiment Facility – Nucleate Pool Boiling Experiment (BXF-NPBX) to provide an understanding of heat transfer and vapour removal processes that take place during nucleate boiling from a well characterized surface in microgravity; • Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor (VCAM) to identify gases that are present in minute quantities in the International Space Station breathing air that could harm the crew’s health; • Urine Monitoring System (UMS) as described for STS-40 (1991 040A); • National Laboratory Pathfinder Jatropha-2 (NLP-Cells-4) as described for STS-132 (2010 019A); • Cambium (Cambium), one in a pair of investigations which uses the advanced biological research system to definitive evidence that gravity has a direct effect on cambial cells, which are cells located under the inner bark where secondary growth occurs, in willow; • Gravity Related Genes in Arabidopsis (Genara)-A, to provide an understanding of microgravity induced altered molecular activities which will help to find plant systems that compensate the negative impact on plant growth in space; • Regulation by Gravity of Ferulate Formation in Cell Walls of Rice Seedlings (Ferulate) to test the hypothesis that microgravity modifies ferulic acid thereby decreasing the mechanical strength of cell walls; • Hydrotropism and Auxin-Inducible Gene expression in Roots Grown Under Microgravity Conditions (HydroTropi) to determines\ whether hydrotropic response can be used for the control of cucumber, Cucumis sativus root growth orientation in microgravity; • Microbial Dynamics in International Space Station (Microbe)-II to monitor microbes in the Kibo laboratory which may affect the health of crew members; • Coarsening in Solid Liquid Mixtures (CSLM)-2 to examine the kinetics of competitive particle growth within a liquid metal matrix; • Smoke and Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME) measures smoke properties, or particle size distribution, of typical particles from spacecraft fire smoke to provide data to support requirements for smoke detection in space and identify ways to improve smoke detectors on future spacecraft; • DEvice for the study of Critical LIquids and Crystallization – High Temperature Insert (DECLIC- HTI), a multi-user facility used to study transparent media and their phase transitions in microgravity onboard the International Space Station; • Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument – Aggregation of Colloidal Suspensions (SODI- Colloid) to study the aggregation, or mass, phenomena of colloids, which are tiny solid particles suspended in a liquid, in the microgravity environment onboard the station; • Two Dimensional NanoTemplate in Microgravity (2D-NanoTemplate) to fabricate large and highly oriented nano-scale two-dimensional arranged peptide arrays by suppressing convection, sedimentation and buoyancy; • Passive Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space (PADLES) to measure radiation exposure levels on board the station using passive and integrating dosimeters to detect radiation levels; 3. several Developmental Test Objective (DTO) experiments as described for STS-1 (1981 034A): • DTO-640: Psychological Factors; and • DTO-701B: Dragon Eye flash Lidar, a pulsed laser to be used on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. The orbiter docked with the PMA-2 port of the International Space Station (1998 067A) on 25 February 2011. On 27 February 2011 the ELC-4 was lifted out of the payload bay and attached to the Starboard 3 truss. The first EVA was undertaken by Bowen and Drew on 28 February 2011 and lasted 6 hours, 34 minutes, during which the astronauts installed a backup power cable for the Tranquility module, stowed a failed ammonia coolant system pump and carried out a variety of maintenance tasks ranging from insulation repairs to installation of a wedge to provide needed clearance between an external television camera and a storage platform. The PMM was lifted out of the payload bay on 1 March 2011 and attached to the Earth facing port of the Unity module. The second EVA took place on 2 March 2011 during which Bowen and Drew vented ammonia from a failed pump module, installed the Dextre camera as well as undertook a number of other activities. The EVA lasted 6 hours, 14 minutes. A third EVA that was originally planned had been dropped before the launch. The mission was extended for an additional day, allowing the astronauts to help the Expedition crew with internal work inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module. The orbiter undocked on 7 March 2011 and landed on 9 March 2011 at the Kennedy Space Center after a mission of 12 days, 19 hours, 5 minutes. This was the last flight of the orbiter Discovery. During its time of operation, the orbiter had undertaken 39 flights, made 5830 orbits and travelled 238,488,675 km.

--- Name: PMM Country: USA Launch date: 1 March 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: STS Orbit: 348 x 355 km, inclination: 51.6 °

The Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) was a modification of the Italian built Leonardo Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPML) as described for 2001 010A, that had been flown to the International Space Station seven times. It was docked at the nadir port of the Unity module of the International Space Station (1998 067A) as a storage module and was not intendent to be worked or lived in it. The modifications made to the module ensured it could withstand the orbital environmental over many years and included the modification of the multi-layer insulation sandwiched between the metallic outer skin and the module's pressure hull into a bullet-proof vest. The PMM carried: 1. Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) a condensing heat exchanger that was an integral part of the temperature and humidity control (THC) subsystem of the space station; 2. Pump Package Assembly (PPA) as a second available spare on board the station; 3. Inlet, a large cabin fan used as an integral part of the temperature and humidity control (THC) subsystem; 4. Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Water Storage Tank; 5. Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Waste Water Tank; and 6. Robonaut 2, a 136 kg dexterous robot developed by General Motors consisting of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. Once aboard the station, operations were confined to the Destiny module but future enhancements and modifications may allow it to move more freely around the station's interior or outside the complex. The robot is not seen as a replacement for humans but as a companion that can carry out key supporting roles. The first series of Robonauts (R1A and R1B) had many partners including DARPA.

2011 009A (37372) Name: Kosmos-2471 Country: Russia Launch date: 25 February 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat Orbit: 19129 x 19153 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Kosmos-2470 was the first satellite in the Glonass K third generation navigational satellite system also known as Uragan K. The operational system contained 21 satellites in 3 orbital planes, with 3 on-orbit spares. The payload consisted of L-Band navigation signals in 25 channels supported by on-board cesium clocks provide time accuracy to 1000 nanoseconds. The system provided 100 meters accuracy with its civilian (deliberately degraded) signals and 10-20 meter accuracy with its P (military) signals. The satellites had a mass of 935 kg.

--- Name: Glory Country: USA Launch date: 4 March 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Taurus XL 3110 Orbit: failed to orbit

The Glory spacecraft used an Orbital LEOStar platform and had two separate mission objectives. The first one was to collect data on the chemical, microphysical and optical properties as well as the spatial and temporal distributions of aerosols. The second objective was to continue the collection of total solar irradiance data for the long-term climate record. The 525 kg spacecraft carried three separate instruments: 1. the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS) to collect data on the global distribution of aerosols and the impact of these aerosols on the Earth radiation budget and clouds; 2. the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) to measure the Sun’s direct and indirect effects on the Earth climate; and 3. a cloud camera system to provide images that enable the APS scans along the spacecraft ground track to be put into spatial context. The satellite was to be part of the “A Train” formation as described for 2006 016A and used the spacebus developed for the cancelled VCL mission.. The launch failed as the payload shroud of the launch vehicle did not separate properly.

--- Name: Explorer-1 Prime Country: USA Launch date: 4 March 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Taurus XL 3110 Orbit: failed to orbit

Explorer-1 Prime was built at Montana State University and was a reference to the Explorer-1 satellite as it was to replicate the scientific mission of Explorer-1 (1958 α 1) that was launched on 31 January 1958 and which detected what later became known as the Van Allen belts. The Explorer-1 Prime payload incorporated a Geiger Tube radiation detector from the Pioneer-10 mission. This instrument was donated to Montana State University by Prof. Van Allen, the scientist responsible for Explorer-1. The Geiger tube measured the intensity and variability of the electrons in the Van Allen belts. The satellite also carried solar cells for power, a radio receiver and transmitter and a computer system to operate the entire device. The satellite, which was part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa)-I programme,.was originally scheduled to fly on the OCO mission that failed on 24 February 2009. The launch failed as the payload shroud of the launch vehicle did not separate properly.

--- Name: Hermes Country: USA Launch date: 4 March 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Taurus XL 3110 Orbit: failed to orbit

The Hermes communications cubesat was developed by the University of Colorado at Boulder, as leader of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium in which 16 colleges and universities in Colorado participated. It was part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa)-I programme. The satellite was to provide in-orbit testing of a high data-rate communications system that allowed the downlinking of large quantities of information. The launch failed as the payload shroud of the launch vehicle did not separate properly.

--- Name: KySat-1 Country: USA Launch date: 4 March 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Taurus XL 3110 Orbit: failed to orbit

KySat-1 was developed by Kentucky Space, a consortium of universities in Kentucky. It was part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa)-I programme. It included a camera to support a scientific outreach program intended for, but not limited to, Kentucky students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The satellite also had a 2.4-gigahertz industrial, scientific and medical band radio, which was to be used to test high-bandwidth communications in the license-free portion of the S- band. The launch failed as the payload shroud of the launch vehicle did not separate properly.

2011 010A (37375) Name: OTV-2 Country: USA Launch date: 5 March 2011 Re-entry: 16 June 2012 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Atlas V-501 Orbit: 321 x 337 km, inclination: 42.8 °

OTV-2 was the first flight of the second X-37B space vehicle as described for 2010 015A. It was also known as USA-226. Expected to be returned to Earth by 30 November 2011, the mission was extended and it finally landed at Vandenberg AFB on 16 June 2012.

2011 011A (37377) Name: SDS 3-4 Country: USA Launch date: 11 March 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Delta 4 M+(4,2) Orbit: 277 x 36391 km, inclination: 27.3 °

Military data relay satellite as described for 1996 038A. It was also known as USA-227, NROL-27 and Gryphon. It was eventually placed in a geostationary orbit and was later relocated to 92 oE..

--- Name: Kavoshgar-4 Country: Iran Launch date: 15 March 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Semnan Launch vehicle: Fateh K110 (?) Orbit: sub-orbital to 135 km

Sub-orbital flight to test the recovery of a Capsule type C..

2011 012A (37382) Name: Soyuz TMA-21 Country: Russia Launch date: 4 April 2011 Re-entry: 16 September 2011 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz FG Orbit: 344 x 347 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Crewed spaceflight with cosmonauts A. Samokutyaev (Cmdr), A. Borisenko (Fl. Eng) and R. Garan (USA) (Fl. Eng) using a Soyuz TMA spacecraft as described for 2002 050A. The mission was also known as ISS- 26S and the call sign was Yuri Gagarin, to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of Gagaran’s Vostok-1 flight. They were members of the twenty seventh permanent crew (EX-27) and later the twenty eigth permanent crew (EX-28) for ISS. The spacecraft docked at the Poisk docking port of ISS (1998 067A) on 6 April 2011. The spacecraft undock on 16 September 2011. Their mission had lasted 164 days, 5 hours, 42 minutes.

2011 013A (37384) Name: Beidou 2-IGSO3 Country: China Launch date: 9 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3A Orbit: 35695 x 35874 km, inclination: 55.3 °

Navigational satellite in the Compass system as described for 2007 011A.

2011 014A (37386) Name: NOSS 3-5 Country: USA Launch date: 14 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Atlas V-411 Orbit: 1016 x 1208 km, inclination: 63.4 °

Third generation military ocean surveillance satellite as described for 1976 038A. Also known as USA-229, NROL-34, Frigga and Odin. It has been suggested that a second satellite was also deployed but this satellite has been catalogued as debris (2011 014B).

2011 015A (37387) Name: Resourcesat-2 Country: India Launch date: 20 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV Orbit: 820 x 824 km, inclination: 98.8 °

Resourcesat-2 was similar to Resourcesat-1, as described for 2003 046A, be it that some of the instruments had undergone minor improvements. The satellite also carried an Automatic Identification System (AIS) payload to monitor ship movements for the Canadian firm exactEarth (COMDEV), which was known as ADS- 1A, EV-2 and exactView-2. The saterllite had a mass of 1206 kg.

2011 015B (37388) Name: Youthsat Country: India Launch date: 20 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV Orbit: 804 x 823 km, inclination: 98.8 °

Youthsat was a satellite to study solar radiation and to provide experience to students in space experiments and data-processing. It also created a common platform for aerospace students across the world. The 92 kg satellite’s payload consisted of: 1. Solar Radiation (SolRad) an instrument developed by the Moscow state university to observe hard X-ray radiation, gamma- radiation and charged particles; 2. Radio beacon for Ionospheric Tomography (RaBIT), an Indian payload that will undertook two- dimensional mapping of ionospheric structures; and 3. Limb Viewing Hyper Spectral Imager (Visible) an Indian instrument that made an altitude profile of neutral and ionized species of the upper atmosphere.

2011 015C (37389) Name: XSat Country: Singapore Launch date: 20 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV Orbit: 803 x 822 km, inclination: 98.8 °

Originally intended to have been launched in 2007, the 106 kg XSat satellite was built by the Nanyan Technological University (NTU). The objective was to take images for measuring soil erosion and monitoring environmental changes. The instruments were: 1. the Iris (named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow) multispectral camera that operated in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range; and 2. the Parallel Processing Unit (PPU), an onboard technology demonstration payload of NTU for onboard image selection, classification and compression.

2011 016A (37392) Name: Intelsat New Dawn Int. Agency: Intelsat Launch date: 22 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 32.8 oE

Communications satellite owned by Intelsat and Convergence Partners, a South African investment group, and built by Orbital Sciences using a Star 2 platform. The 3000 kg satellite was fitted with 28 C band and 24 Ku band transponders. In October 2012 Intelsat became the sole owner and the satellite was renamed as Intelsat-28.

2011 016B (37393) Name: Yahsat 1-A Country: United Arab Emirates Launch date: 22 April 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 52.5 oE

Communications satellite owned by Al Yah Satellite Communications Co. and built by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. The 5965 kg satellite was based on the Eurostar E3000 platform and was fitted with 14 C band and 25 Ku band transponders as well as a single Ka band transponder for military use.

2011 017A (37396) Name: Progress M-10M Country: Russia Launch date: 27 April 2011 Re-entry: 29 October 2011 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 344 x 347 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Cargo transfer spacecraft as described for 2008 060A. Progress M-10M docked at the Pirs nadir port of ISS (1998 067A) on 29 April 2011. The flight was also known as ISS-42P. The spacecraft undocked on 29 October 2011.

2011 018A (37398) Name: Meridian-4 Country: Russia Launch date: 4 May 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 256 x 36462 km, inclination: 62.8 °

Communications satellite as described for 2006 061A.

--- Name: New Shepard PM2-1 Country: USA Launch date: 6 May 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Van Horn Launch vehicle: New Shepard Orbit: suborbital

Test flight in the development of the Propulsion Module of the proposed New Shepard crewed and re-usable launch vehicle. The flight consisted of a short hop followed by a landing on the launch pad. The vehicle did not carry a crew capsule.

2011 019A (37481) Name: SBIRS GEO-1 Country: USA Launch date: 7 May 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Atlas V-401 Orbit: 35781 x 35792 km, inclination: 6.5 °

In the early 1990s proposals to replace the IMEWS system (as described for 1970 093A) were investigated as the Alert Locate and Report Missile (ALARM) satellite system and the Follow-on Early Warning System. Both systems were abandoned due to insufficient technological capabilities to meet the requirements as well as too high cost. By 1996 these proposals had evolved into the Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS). The SBIRS system initially envisaged: • four SBIRS GEO satellites which were to be placed in a geosynchronous Earth orbit; • two SBIRS HEO payloads which were to be placed on classified host satellites in a highly eccentric Earth orbit; and • 24 to 30 SBIRS Low satellites which were to carry radar to track hostile ballistic missiles and discriminate between the warheads and other objects, such as decoys, that would separate from the missile bodies throughout the middle portion of their flights. Later the US Air Force increased the number of SBIRS GEO to six. The SBIRS GEO satellites, developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman (originally TRW) carried sensors that covered short-wave infrared, expanded mid-wave infrared and see-to-the-ground bands allowing them to perform a broader set of missions as compared to IMEWS. The two SBIRS HEO payloads were carried on the Prowler-1 (2006 027A) satellite (SBIRS HEO-1) and the Prowler-2 (2008 010A) satellite (SBIRS HEO-2). The SBIRS Low satellites were scheduled to be launched in 2010 but the program, undertaken by TRW, was cancelled by about 2001. By then TRW had built two SBIRS-Low Flight Demonstration System (FDS) satellites to test some of the hardware. These satellites were scheduled to be launched in late 1999 aboard a single Delta 7420-10C launch vehicle. The two satellites were eventually re-used as the basis for the STSS Demo-1 (2009 052A) and -2 (2009 052B). SBIRS GEO-1 was also known as USA-230. The series probably also carried the military designation LS- 16A.

2011 020A (37577) Name: STS-134 Country: USA Launch date: 16 May 2011 Re-entry: 1 June 2011 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: STS Orbit: 337 x 34.5 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Docked at ISS

Crewed spaceflight with astronauts M. Kelly (Cmdr), G. Johnson (pilot), G. Chamitoff, M. Fincke, R. Vittori (ESA) and D. Feustel (all mission specialists), using the orbiter Endeavour as described for 1981 034A. The objective was to deliver the Express Logistics Carrier (ELC)-3 and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)- 2 to the International Space Station as part of the ISS-ULF6 mission. Originally STS-133 (2011 008A) was to have been the last Space Shuttle mission with STS-134 being the Launch On Need (LON) mission for STS-133. Controversy over the cancellation of several International Space Station components, most notably the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, led to the funding of the STS- 134 in 2008. By early 2010 it was obvious that the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer cosmic ray experiment would not be available until August 2010. The delay was caused by the need to replace the 7000 kg experiment’s superconducting magnet. The initially proposed magnet, which would produce a field 17,000 times that at the Earth’s surface and allows scientists to determine the charge and momentum of particles by how their tracks bend, needed to be cooled to near absolute zero by liquid helium that would be depleted over a period of three years, leaving the AMS as deadweight on the space station. That was acceptable when it was planned to de-orbit ISS in 2015 but after it had been decided to extend the ISS lifetime, it was decided to install a less capable magnet that did not require cooling but would allow a longer running time. In addition, the new magnet made operation simpler and safer as liquid helium could boil explosively. The payload consisted of: 1. the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC)-3, as described for as described for 2009 062A, carrying a number of items for future use on the space station; 2. the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)-2 a 6917 kg cosmic ray experiment that used a large magnet to create a magnetic field that bent the path of the charged cosmic particles traveling through space to allow them to be recorded by eight different instruments; and 3. the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) which was stored on the S1 truss for future use as an extension to the Canadarm2; In addition the orbiter carried a number of experiments that were undertaken on STS-134 or kept on ISS, including: 1. BIOKon In Space (BIOKIS), seven Italian experiments in the areas of cellular biology, radiation and radioprotection, aging, germination and plant growth to evaluate various biological species to determine genetic distinctions following short-duration spaceflight; 2. Eyespots and Macular Pigments Extracted from Algal Organisms Immobilized in Organic Matrix with the Purpose to Protect Astronaut’s Retina (Night Vision), a study on the response of microalgae strains to space radiation to obtain results applicable to future nutrition programs for astronauts; 3. National Lab Pathfinder – Vaccine (NLP-Vaccine), an investigation for the use of the ISS as a National Laboratory after space station assembly is complete; 4. NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-7, an experiment to mix samples of two or three liquids in microgravity; 5. The NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-8, and experiment to perform multiple crystal growth and biological experiments; 6. Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight-Short (Sleep-Short) as described for STS-120 (2007 050A); 7. Shape Memory Foam, to evaluate the recovery of shape memory epoxy foam in microgravity obtained by solid-state foaming on ground consisting of various geometric complexities shaped on ground; 8. Astronaut Personal Eye (APE), a demonstration test created for the development of an autonomous microvehicle which will be used to support space station crew IVA (Intravehicular Activity) and EVA (Extravehicular Activity) operations; 9. Electronic NOse for Space exploration (ENOS) as described for STS-95 (1998 064A); 10. JAXA-Commercial, several commercial items sponsored by JAXA sent to the station to experience the microgravity environment; 11. eValuatIon And monitoring of microBiofiLms insidE International Space Station (VIABLE space station) to evaluates microbial biofilm development on space materials; 12. Mycological Evaluation of Crew Exposure to space station Ambient Air (Myco) as described for STS-130 (2010 004A); 13. Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert (CSI)-05, part of the CSI program series that provided the K-12 community opportunities to use the unique microgravity environment of the ISS as part of the regular classroom to encourage learning and interest in science, technology, engineering and math; 14. Lego Bricks, a series of toy Lego kits that are assembled on orbit and used to demonstrate scientific concepts; 15. Try Zero-Gravity (Try Zero-G), to allow the public, especially kids, to vote for and suggest physical tasks for JAXA Astronauts to demonstrate the difference between zero-g and one-g for educational purposes; 16. Materials on International Space Station Experiment (MISSE)-8, a test bed for materials and computing elements outside of the ISS exposing them to atomic oxygen, ultraviolet, direct sunlight, radiation and extremes of heat and cold; 17. Biology (Bio), an engineering proof-of-concept in preparation for Advanced Colloids Experiment (ACE); 18. 2D-NanoTemplate, to fabricate large and highly oriented nano-scale two-dimensional arranged peptide arrays by suppressing convection, sedimentation and buoyancy; 19. Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE)-3 to obtain data on fluids that change their physical properties in response to magnetic fields; 20. Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI) as described STS-121 (2006 028A); 21. Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO)-2 as described STS-111 (2002 028A); 22. Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments (SEITE) as described for STS-126 (2008 059A); 23. Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust Experiments (SIMPLEX) as described for STS-84 (1997 023A); 24. several Developmental Test Objective (DTO) experiment as described for STS-1 (1981 034A): • DTO-854 Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment The Boundary Layer Transition (BLT); • DTO-900 Solid Rocket Booster Thrust Oscillation; • DTO-805 Crosswind Landing Performance; • DTO-703 Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM); and 25. a Detailed Supplementary Objective (DSO) experiment as described for STS-1 (1981 034A): • DSO-641 Risk of Orthostatic Intolerance During Re-exposure to Gravity One of the most important physiological changes that may negatively impact crew safety.

The orbiter docked with the PMA-2 port of the International Space Station (1998 067A) on 18 May 2011. Also on that day the Shuttle robotic arm lifted ECS-3 from the payload bay and handed it to Canadarm2 which attached it to the Port 3 truss segment. On 19 May 2011 the AMS-2 was installed on the S3 upper inboard the Payload Attach System (PAS)-2 using both the Shuttle robotic arm and the Canadarm2. This position was originally intended for ECS-5. On 20 May 2011 Feustel and Chamitoff made an EVA of 6 hours, 19 minutes during which they retrieved two material exposure experiments and installed a new package of experiments on ELC2. Probles with Chamitoff’s space suit curtailed the EVA preventing them to install an external wireless communication antenna on the Destiny module to provide wireless communication to the ELCs mounted on the P3 and S3 truss segments. The Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was lifted out of the payload bay on 21 May 2011. The second EVA took place on 22 May 2011 and was performed by Feustel and Fincke. During the 8 hours and 7 minutes they refilled the P6 truss radiators with ammonia as well as undertook several other activities. Feustel and Fincke also performed the third EVA on 25 May 2011. This EVA lasted 6 hours, 54 minutes and the astronauts installed a power and data grapple fixture on the Zarya module and installed additional cables to provide redundant power channels for Zarya. In preparation for this EVA the astronauts tested a new method of preparing them for the EVA, replacing the camp-out in the airlock with a series of specially designed exercises. The final EVA of 7 hours, 24 minutes took place on 27 May 2011 and was undertaken by Fincke and Chamitoff. They attached the OBSS on the interface between the starboard 0 and starboard 1 trusses as well as a number of other tasks. This was the final spacewalk by a space shuttle crew. The orbiter undocked from ISS on 30 May 2011 following which it performed a re-rendez vous with the Station about four hours later, coming to a distance of 290 m. The rendez vous demonstrated a coelliptic approach, familiar from Apollo days but not normally used with Shuttle and also tested the STORRM laser sensor developed for the Orion spacecraft. The orbiter landed at the Kennedy Space Centre on 1 June 2011 and the mission had lasted for 15 days, 17 hours, 38 minutes. This was the last flight of the orbiter Endeavour. During its time of operation, the orbiter had undertaken 25 flights, made 4677 orbits and travelled 197,718.990 km.

2011 021A (37602) Name: Telstar-14R/Estrela do Sul-2 Country: Canada Launch date: 20 May 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 63 °W

Communications satellite built for Telesat by Space Systems/Loral using the LS-1300 platform. The 5028 kg satellite was fitted with 46 Ku band transponders. Because of the corporate structure associated with Telesat en Loral Space Communications, the satellite was considered Canadian.

2011 022A (37605) Name: Gsat-8 Country: India Launch date: 20 May 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 55.0 °E

Gsat-8, also known as Insat-4G, was an Indian communications satellite using the I-3K platform. The 3150 kg satellite was fitted with 24 Ku band transponders as well as the two-channel GAGAN (GPS and GEO augmented navigation) system.

2011 022B (37606) Name: ST-2 Country: Singapore/Taiwan Launch date: 20 May 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 88 oE

Communications satellite owned by Satellite Ventures Pte Ltd (STS), a joint venture of Singapore Telecommunications and Taiwan’s Chunghwa. The 5090 kg satellite was built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation using the DS2000 platform and carried 10 C and 41 Ku band transponders providing fixed and mobile satellite services for businesses in Asia and the Middle East.

--- Name: Celestis-10 Country: USA Launch date: 20 May 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: White Sands Launch vehicle: SpaceLoft XL Orbit: suborbital to 118 km

The Celestis-10 payload (Goddard Flight) carried a number of human remains. The flight also carried 27 student experiments. The launch took place from the Spaceport America facility.

2011 023A (37633) Name: Soyuz TMA-02M Country: Russia Launch date: 7 June 2011 Re-entry: 22 November 2011 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz FG Orbit: 381 x 396 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Crewed spaceflight with cosmonauts S. Volkov (Cmdr), M. Fossum (USA) (Fl. Eng.) and S. Furukawa (Japan) (Fl. Eng.) using a modified Soyuz TMA spacecraft as described for 2010 052A. The mission was also known as ISS-27S and the call sign was Eridan. They were members of the twenty eighth permanent crew (EX-28) and later the twenty ninth permanent crew (EX-29) for ISS. The spacecraft docked at the Rassvet docking port of ISS (1998 067A) on 9 June 2011. The spacecraft undocked on 21 November 2011. The mission lasted 167 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes.

2011 024A (37673) Name: SAC-D Country: Argentina Launch date: 10 June 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7320-10C Orbit: 653 x 656 km, inclination: 98.0 o

The Argentinian Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC)-D, also known as Aquarius, was developed in close cooperation with NASA with participation from Brazil, Canada, France and Italy. The NASA cooperation has also been referred to as Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP)-6. The objective of the 1600 kg satellite was to study ocean salinity and for this it carried the following instruments: 1. Aquarius, a polaric radiometer to study the sea surface salinity; 2. Microwave Radiometer (MWR), to study precipitation, wind speed, sea/ice concentration and water vapour; 3. New Infrared Sensor Technology (NIRST), to observe fires and measure sea surface temperatures through infrared imageries; 4. High density Camera (HSC), to record aurorae, fires and urban lights; 5. Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmosphere, to measure the temperature and humidity in bthe atmosphere; 6. CARMEN I, comprising the SODAD experiment to study particles and debris in space and ICARE wto study cosmic radiation and its effects on electronics; and 7. Data Collection System (DCS) to collect environmental data provided by platforms on Earth.

2011 025A (37675) Name: Rasad-1 Country: Iran Launch date: 15 June 2011 Re-entry: 6 July 2011 Launch site: Semnan Launch vehicle: Safir 1B Orbit: 243 x 292 km, inclination: 88.3 °

The 15.3 kg Rasad observation satellite was constructed by the Malek Ashtar University and carried photography and remote sensing equipment used in meteorology and identifying sea borders.

2011 026A (37677) Name: ZX-10 Country: China Launch date: 20 June 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3B/E Orbit: geostationary at 110.5 °E

Communications satellite owned by China Satcom. The satellite was based on the DFH-4 platform and was fitted with 30 C band, 16 Ku band transponders. The satellite was originally known as Xinnou-5.

2011 027A (37679) Name: Progress M-11M Country: Russia Launch date: 21 June 2011 Re-entry: 1 September 2011 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 381 x 396 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Cargo transfer spacecraft as described for 2008 060A. Progress M-11M docked at the Zvezda rear port of ISS (1998 067A) on 23 June 2011. The flight was also known as ISS-43P. The spacecraft undocked on 23 August 2011.

2011 028A (37726) Name: Kosmos-2472 Country: Russia Launch date: 27 June 2011 Re-entry: 24 October 2011 Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 216 x 334 km, inclination: 81.3 °

Yantar 4KS2 military reconnaissance satellite as described for 2004 038A.

2011 029A (37728) Name: ORS-1 Country: USA Launch date: 30 June 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Wallops Island Launch vehicle: Minotaur 1 Orbit: 396 x 410 km, inclination: 40.0 °

The Operationally Responsive Space (ORS)-1 was a 450 kg satellite fitted with new electro-optical and infrared reconnaissance instruments developed by Goodrich to supplement data obtained by unmanned aerial systems and high-altitude aircraft, as well as to the sophisticated national intelligence satellites overhead. Developed for the US Air Force it was positioned to support military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as to observe Pakistan to support anti-terrorist activities there. The ORS was to be launched 24 months after its approval but, whilst the satellite manufacturers ATK and Goodrich, met this schedule, the launch, which was originally scheduled for December 2011, did not. The satellite was also known as USA-231.

2011 030A (37730) Name: SJ-11-3 Country: China Launch date: 6 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Jiuquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2C Orbit: 691 x 703 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Satellite for space science and engineering experiments probably similar to SJ-11-1 (2009 061A).

2011 031A (37736) Name: STS-135 Country: USA Launch date: 8 July 2011 Re-entry: 21 July 2011 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: STS Orbit: 371 x 385 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Landing at KSC

Crewed spaceflight with astronauts C. Ferguson (Cmdr.), D. Hurley (Pilot), R. Walheim and S. Magnus (both Mission Specialists), using the orbiter Atlantis as described for 1981 034A. STS-135, referred to as STS-335 until 20 January 2011, was originally intended to be the Launch On Need (LON) mission for STS-134. Due to the work conducted to convert Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center for use in Project Constellation, this would have required Atlantis to be rolled out to Pad 39A after the STS- 134 mission would have been launched. In May 2010 United States Senator Bill Nelson proposed to Congress that, after its use as the potential ‘launch-on-need’ flight for, the STS-135 mission be flown with a payload of supplies for the space station. The bill was approved by Congress in October 2010 and in February 2011 the mission was formally approved. The mission was then identified as ISS ULF7. STS-135 carried the Rafaello MPLM, as described for 2001 010A, which carried six Resupply Stowage Racks, eight Resupply Stowage Platforms, two ISS Stowage Platforms and one Zero-G Stowage Rack. In addition the orbiter carried a Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier (LMC) on which the Robotic Refuelling Mission (RRM) was placed. The RRM was an external experiment to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically refuel and repair satellites in space, especially satellites that were not designed to be serviced. The RRM was placed on the space station’s ELC-4 platform during the EVA on 12 July 2011 from where it will be operated through the Dextre robot. During the descent, the LMC carried an ammonia pump that was to be analyzed to determine its cause for failure. The Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (ARFTA) was carried the orbiter’s middeck. It was transferred to ISS. The following experiments were conducted on the mission: 1. Biology and Biotechnology Biological Research in Canisters Symbiotic Nodulation in a Reduced Gravity Environment (BRIC-SyNRGE), to investigate microgravity effects associated with microbe- host interactions and cell-cell communication using a plant-bacteria model system; 2. Commercial Biomedical Testing Module (CBTM)-3 (Sclerostin Antibody), an assessment of sclerostin antibody as a novel bone forming agent for prevention of spaceflight-induced skeletal fragility in mice; 3. Commercial Biomedical Testing Module (CBTM)-3) (Vascular Atrophy) to determine the effects of spaceflight on vascular atrophy in the hind limbs of mice; 4. Gravitational Effects on Biofilm Formation During Space Flight (Micro-2), to study how gravity alters biofilm (aggregation of microorganisms) formation with the goal of developing new strategies to reduce their impact on crew health; 5. National Lab Pathfinder – Cells (NLP-Cells)-7, a commercial payload containing several different experiments that examine cellular replication and differentiation of cells; 6. Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV), to facilitate design and development of next- generation vaccines with improved efficacy and protective immune responses; 7. Space Tissue Loss (STL)-Regeneration Keratincytes, a payload to study the effects of microgravity on stem cell-based tissue regeneration; 8. NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-8 as described for STS-134 (2011 020A); 9. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency − Commercial Payload Program (JAXA -Commercial Payload Program) as described for STS-134 (2011 020A); 10. Tomatosphere-III, a Canadian programme in which 400,000 tomato seeds were sent to the ISS for exposure to the space environment. The seeds will be returned to Earth for use in 10,000 classrooms throughout Canada as a learning resource; 11. Forward Osmosis Bag (FOB), a system to convert dirty water into a liquid that is safe to drink using a semi-permeable membrane and a concentrated sugar solution; 12. Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI) as described STS-121 (2006 028A); 13. Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO)-2 as described STS-111 (2002 028A); 14. Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments (SEITE) as described for STS-126 (2008 059A); 15. Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust Experiments (SIMPLEX) as described for STS-84 (1997 023A); 16. a Developmental Test Objective (DTO) experiment as described for STS-1 (1981 034A): • DTO-701A TriDAR Sensor (Triangulation and LIDAR Automated Rendezvous and Docking); 17. several Detailed Supplementary Objective (DSO) experiments as described for STS-1 (1981 034A): • DSO-640 Physiological Factors Exposure; • DSO-641 Risk of Orthostatic Intolerance During Re-exposure to Gravity One; 18. Pico-Satellite Solar Cell (PSSC)-2 (2011 031B), which was deployed on 20 July 2011; and 19. a number of student experiments in the Students Spaceflight Experiments Programme (SSEP) provided by 12 schools.

The orbiter docked with the PMA-2 port of the ISS (1998 067A) on 10 July 2011. On 11 July 2011 the Raffaello MPLM was lifted from the payload bay and docked with the nadir port of Harmony. On 12 July 2011 ISS astronauts Garan and Fossum performed an EVA of 6 hours, 31 minutes during which they removed the Robotic Refuelling Mission (RRM) from the Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier (LMC) and placed the failed Pump Module S/N 02 on the LMC for return to Earth. On 18 July 2011 the MPLM, now carrying some experiments to be returned to Earth, was transferred back into the orbiter’s bay. The orbiter undocked on 19 July 2011 and landed at the Kennedy Space Centre after a flight of 12 days, 18 hours, 28 minutes. Unlike previous missions there was no Launch On Need (LON) mission for STS-135. For this reason only a crew of four was carried so that they could be carried back to Earth on Soyuz spacecraft should there have been problems with the orbiter. For the same reason the orbiter carried additional supplies that would have sustained an extended stay on board of ISS. The crew had also been fitted for Russian spacesuits and moulded Soyuz sheet should such rescue flights have been necessary. This was the last flight of the orbiter Atlantis. During its time of operation, the orbiter had undertaken 33 flights, made 4,848 orbits and travelled 202,630,652 km.

2011 031B (37752) Name: PSSC-2 Country: USA Launch date: 20 July 2011 Re-entry: 8 December 2011 Launch site: --- Launch vehicle: STS Orbit: 366 x 381 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Deployed from STS-135 (2011 031A) the Pico-Satellite Solar Cell (PSSC)-2 was a 3.7 kg satellite that conducted the Miniature Tracking Vehicle (MTV) experiment to demonstrate the capability of a nano- satellite to serve as an orbiting reference for ground tracking systems. It also conducted the Compact Total Electron Content Sensor (CTECS), to demonstrate a CubeSat form factor space weather sensor with the capability to detect ionospheric density. It also demonstrated advanced solar panel technology. The satellite carried four small rocket motors fuelled by ammonium perchlorate motors with 40 Ns impulse each which were to be fired a few weeks after deployment to raise PSSC-2’s orbit. One of these was fired on 4 November 2011 raising the orbit slightly. Based on other orbital data it appears that the other motors were not fired.

2011 032A (37737) Name: Tianlian-2 Country: China Launch date: 11 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3C Orbit: geostationary at 176.8 °E

Data relay satellite as described for 2008 019A. It was later moved to 171 oE and to 167 oE in November 2013. In Jjanary 2016 it was moved back to 171 oE.

2011 033A (37739) Name: Globalstar FM-83 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 919 x 932 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-7.

2011 033B (37740) Name: Globalstar FM-88 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 920 x 932 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-8.

2011 033C (37741) Name: Globalstar FM-91 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 919 x 932 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-9.

2011 033D (37742) Name: Globalstar FM-85 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 916 x 932 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-10.

2011 033E (37743) Name: Globalstar FM-81 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 918 x 931 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-11.

2011 033F (37744) Name: Globalstar FM-89 Country: USA Launch date: 13 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat Orbit: 917 x 932 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-12.

2011 034A (37746) Name: Gsat-12 Country: India Launch date: 15 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV Orbit: geostationary at 83 °E

Gsat-12 was a communications satellite fitted with 12 Extended C band transponders. The 1375 kg satellite was based on the I-1K platform.

2011 035A (37748) Name: SES-3 Country: Luxembourg Launch date: 15 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 103 °W

Communications satellite as described for 2010 016A. In January 2012 the satellites was moved to 108.2o E and back again to 103 oW in September 2012.

2011 035B (37749) Name: Kazsat-2 Country: Kazakhstan Launch date: 15 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 86.5 °E

Communications satellite for Kazakhstan. The 1330 kg satellite was built by Khrunichev using the Yaktha platform and was fitted with 16 Ku-band transponders for fixed communications and 4 Ku-band transponders for TV-transmissions.

2011 036A (37753) Name: Navstar 2F-2 Country: USA Launch date: 14 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Delta 4M+(4,2) Orbit: 20451 x 20465 km, inclination: 55.0 °

Navigational satellite as described for 2010 022A. It was also known as GPS 2F-2, USA-232, Navstar-63, Navstar 66, Sirius and SVN-63.

2011 037A (37755) Name: Spektr R Country: Russia Launch date: 18 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Zenit 3F/Fregat Orbit: 1045 x 332728 km, inclination: 51.6°

First conceived some thirty years ago, Spektr Radioastron (Spektr R) was an orbital radio astronomy observatory used for interferometric investigations as part of the international Radio Astron project. One of the primary targets of this project was the observation of galaxy M87 that features a massive black hole. The 5220 kg spacecraft was developed by Lavochkin and carried: 1. a 92-cm receiver built by India’s Radio Astronomy Center of TATA Institute of Fundamental Research) and Russia; 2. an 18-cm receiver built by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO); 3. a 6-cm receiver developed by Russia; 4. a 1.35-cm receiver built by Finland’s Helsinki University of Technology and upgraded by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (USA) and the Moscow Institute of Radio-engineering and Electronics (Russia); 5. a rubidium on-board frequency standard built by the European Space Agency (ESA) at Neuchatel observatory in Switzerland; and 6. an H-maser on-board frequency standard developed in Russia by Nizhny Novgorod. Using interferometry, the 10 m diameter dish antenna on board of the spacecraft, combined with groundbased and other space based telescopes, formed an artificial telescope larger than the Earth.

2011 038A (37763) Name: Beidou 2-IGSO4 Country: China Launch date: 26 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3A Orbit: 35706 x 35877 km, inclination: 55.3 °

Navigational satellite in the Compass system as described for 2007 011A.

2011 039A (37765) Name: SJ-11-2 Country: China Launch date: 29 July 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Jiuquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2C Orbit: 689 x 705 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Satellite for space science and engineering experiments probably similar to SJ-11-1 (2009 061A).

2011 040A (37773) Name: Juno Country: USA Launch date: 5 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Atlas V-551 Orbit: interplanetary trajectory

Juno’s primary objective was to collect data to study the formation and evolution of the Jupiter. Placed in an elliptical polar orbit it used long-proven technologies to observe Jupiter’s gravity and magnetic fields, atmospheric dynamics and composition, and the coupling between the interior, atmosphere and magnetosphere that determines the planet’s properties and drives its evolution. Juno flew through the solar system for about five years using a swing by of Earth at an altitude of 552 km on 9 October 2013. It reached Jupiter on 4 July 2016. It was then be placed in an fourteen day elliptical orbit over the planet’s poles with the closets approach about 5000 km. From this orbit the eight instruments will study Jupiter for at least 16 months. At the end of the mission, in October 2017, the spacecraft will be crashed into Jupiter to protect the planet’s moons. The 3652 kg spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin and carried the following instruments: 1. Microwave radiometer (MWR) to sound deep into the atmosphere and measure thermal emission over a range of altitudes; 2. Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) to acquire infrared images and spectra of Jupiter; 3. Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment (JADE), to measure the distribution of electrons and the velocity distribution and composition of ions; 4. Jovian Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI), a suite of detectors that will measure the energy and angular distribution of charged particles; 5. Radio and Plasma Wave Sensor (WAVES) to measure plasma waves and radio waves in Jupiter’s magnetosphere; 6. Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVS) to image ultraviolet emissions; 7. JunoCam to provide visible colour images of the Jovian cloud tops; 8. Magnetometer (MAG), to obtain a detailed three-dimensional map of Jupiter’s magnetic field; and 9. Gravity Science (GS) to investigate the mass properties of Jupiter by using the communications subsystem to perform Doppler tracking.

2011 041A (37775) Name: Astra 1-N Country: Luxembourg Launch date: 6 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 28.2 °E

Communications satellite owned by SES Astra. The satellite was built by Astrium and was based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. The 5350 kg satellite was fitted with 55 Ku band transponders. In February 2014 it was relocated to 19.2 oE.

2011 041B (37776) Name: BSat-3C/JC Sat 110R Country: Japan Launch date: 6 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 110 °E

Communications satellite jointly owned by B-SAT and Sky Perfect JSAT. It was built by Lockheed Martin using an AS2100 platform fitted with two sets of 12 Ku band transponders, one set for each operator. It had a mass of 2910 kg.

2011 042A (37779) Name: PakSat-1R Country: Pakistan Launch date: 11 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3B/E Orbit: geostationary at 38.5 oE

Communications satellite owned by PakSat International and developed by China using the DFH 4 spacebus. The 5120 kg satellite was fitted with 18 Ku band and 16 C band transponders.

2011 043A (37781) Name: Haiyang 2-A Country: China Launch date: 15 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Taiyuan Launch vehicle: CZ 4B Orbit: 902 x 917 km, inclination: 99.4 °

Second generation of the Haiyang oceanographic observation satellite as described for 2002 024B.

2011 044A (37788) Name: EduSat Country: Italy Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 641 x 697 km, inclination: 98.3 °

EduSAT was a micro satellite developed by the La Sapienza Univerity of Rome. The 10 kg satellite performed a number of technology tests, including the verification of dynamics principles, measurements of the Earth magnetic field, detection of cosmic particles, measurements of the Solar constant, the study of deorbiting systems, behaviour of solar cells in orbit and the validation of an S-band transponder. The satellite also carried the Morehead-Roma Femtosatellite Orbital Deployers (MRFOD), an orbital deployer designed to release femto-class satellites which was tested in the first 30 days in orbit. No satellites were released during these tests.

2011 044B (37789) Name: Nigeriasat-2 Country: Nigeria Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 693 x 729 km, inclination: 98.3 °

Earth observation satellite as described for 2003 042F. The satellite was fitted with a 2.5 m panchromatic camera, a 5 m multispectral camera in five bands and a 32 m multispectral camera in three channels.

2011 044C (37790) Name: Nigeriasat-X Country: Nigeria Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 657 x 697 km, inclination: 98.3 °

NigeriaSat-X was based on the SSTL-100 but was built by a team of 26 Nigerian trainee engineers at SSTL in England. The 90 kg satellite was fitted with sensors providing 22 m multi-spectral (R, G, NIR) imagery which were processed through Solid State Data Recorders (SSDR).

2011 044D (37791) Name: Rasat Country: Turkey Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 668 x 698 km, inclination: 98.3 °

Rasat was a 110 kg Earth observation satellite. It carried a high-resolution optical imaging system consisting of a 7.5 m panchromatic band and 15 m multispectral imager.

2011 044E (37792) Name: AprizeSat-5 Country: USA Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 611 x 697 km, inclination: 98.3 °

Communications satellite as described for 2002 058B. The satellite had a mass of 12 kg. The satellite was later transferred to the Canadian exactEarth company as exactView-5.

2011 044F (37793) Name: AprizeSat-6 Country: USA Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 628 x 697 km, inclination: 98.3 °

Communications satellite as described for 2002 058B. The satellite had a mass of 12 kg. The satellite was later transferred to the Canadian exactEarth company as exactView-6.

2011 044G (37794) Name: Sich-2 Country: Ukraine Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 685 x 702 km, inclination: 98.3 °

Sich-2 was a small oceanographic satellite based on Yuzhnoye's MS-2-8 micro satellite platform. The satellite had a mass of 169 kg.

2011 044H (37795) Name: BPA-2 Country: Ukraine Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Yasny Launch vehicle: Dnepr 1 Orbit: 691 x 1296 km, inclination: 98.2 °

The Blok Perspektivnoy Avioniki (BPA)-2 is assumed to be similar to BPA-1 (2010 028C).

2011 045A (37798) Name: Ekspress AM-4 Country: Russia Launch date: 17 August 2011 Re-entry: 25 March 2012 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: 695 x 20242 km, inclination: 51.2°

Communications satellite built by ADS Astrium using the Eurostar E3000 space platform. The 5775 kg satellite carried 30 transponders in the C band, 28 in the Ku band, 2 in the Ka band and 3 in the L band. A failure of the Briz M upper stage of the launch vehicle prevented the satellite from achieving its geostationary orbit at 80 o East. Insurance underwriters declared the satellite a total loss and paid an insurance claim to Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC), the owners of the spacecraft. Polar Broadband Ltd. (PBL) had proposed to salvage the satellite and use it to provide communications facilities to the international science community in the Antarctic. The spacecraft would have to be placed into a new orbit from where it could provide communications services for 14 to 16 hours each day. This proposal was not proceeded with and instead the satellite was de-orbitted.

--- Name: SJ-11-4 Country: China Launch date: 18 August 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Jiuguan Launch vehicle: CZ 2C Orbit: failed to orbit

Satellite for space science and engineering experiments probably similar to SJ-11-1 (2009 061A).

--- Name: Progress M-12M Country: Russia Launch date: 24 August 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: failed to orbit

Cargo transfer spacecraft as described for 2008 060A. Progress M-12M was to dock at the Zvezda rear port of ISS (1998 067A) on 26 August 2011 but a failure with the third stage of the launch vehicle at 5 min, 25 seconds after the launch, prevented the satellite from achieving orbit. The flight was also known as ISS-44P.

--- Name: New Shepard PM2-2 Country: USA Launch date: 24 August 2011 Re-entry: n.a. Launch site: Van Horn Launch vehicle: New Shepard Orbit: failed

Test flight in the development of the Propulsion Module of the proposwed New Shepard crewed and re-usable launch vehicle. At an altitude of 14 km the vehicle went out of control and was destroyed as a precaution. The vehicle did not carry a crew capsule.

--- Name: Kavoshgar-5 Country: Iran Launch date: 7 September 2011 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. It crashed on recovery.

2011 046A (37801) Name: GRAIL-A Country: USA Launch date: 10 September 2011 Re-entry: 17 December 2012 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Delta 7920H-10C Orbit: translunar

The objective of the two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites was to measure the lunar gravity field and thereby improve the knowledge of the Moon’s near-side gravity and determine the structure of the lunar interior and advance the understanding of the thermal evolution of the Moon. Each of the near identical satellites had a mass of 202 kg and carried: 1. a Ka Band Ranging (KBR) to measure the inter-spacecraft range rate which was relayed back to Earth where it was examined for minute differences in distance the signals travelled between spacecraft thereby gaining an insight into the gravitational changes of the entire Moon; 2. a radio science beacon; and 3. the Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students (MoonKam) suite of five cameras to record the views from lunar orbit. After the launch the two spacecraft entered into a slow trans-lunar cruise and arrived at the Moon on 31 December 2011 asnd 1 January 2012, when they entered into a circular polar lunar orbit. GRAIL-A was placed on a 90 x 8362 km orbit with in inclination of 87.2 o on 31 December 2011 whereas GRAIL-B achieved a 111 x 8359 km orbit with an inclination of 88.3 o on 1 January 2012. Over the next three months this orbit was modified to an altitude of 50 km and a separation between the spacecraft of 175 km. The baseline mission began early March 2012 and ended in June 2012, when the Moon, and hence the two spacecraft, entered an orbit during which they were eclipsed from the Sun, thereby denying sunlight for recharging of the batteries. The extended mission, which began in September 2012, allowed scientists to complete a more definitive map of the lunar gravity field from a lower orbit from 23 km down to 7 km. On 17 December 2012 the two spacecraft were impacted on the north pole of the Moon. The location was 75 o37’N, 26 o38’W and the site was subsequently named after astronaut Sally Ride

GRAIL was the eleventh mission in NASA’s Discovery programme. It was built by Lockheed Martin using the same design as that for the XSS-11 satellite. In January 2012 the two satellites were renamed Ebb and Flow, following a suggestion made by students.

2011 046B (37802) Name: GRAIL-B Country: USA Launch date: 10 September 2011 Re-entry: 17 December 2012 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Delta 7920H-10C Orbit: x km, inclination: °

Lunar spacecraft as described for 2011 046A.

2011 047A (37804) Name: Zhongxing-1A Country: China Launch date: 18 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3B/E Orbit: geostationary at 130 °E

Military communications satellite based on the DFH 4 platform. It had a mass of about 5200 kg. Also known as Fenghuo (FH)-2A.

2011 048A (37806) Name: Kosmos-2473 Country: Russia Launch date: 20 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 80 °E

Garpun military data relay satellite built by ISS Reshetnev. Also referred to as Garpun-11L.

2011 049A (37809) Name: Arabsat-5C Int. Agency: Arabsat Launch date: 21 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 20 °E

Communications satellite owned by the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) and built by EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia using the Eurostar E3000 platform. The 4630 kg satellite carried 26 C band and 12 Ka band transponders.

2011 049B (37810) Name: SES-2 Country: Luxembourg Launch date: 21 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Ariane 5ECA Orbit: geostationary at 87 °W

Communications satellite as described for 2010 016A. In addition the 3152 kg satellite carried the Commercially Hosted InfraRed Payload (CHIRP) for the US Air Force which evaluated a wide-field of view sensor for future use in space-based missile warning. The satellite was originally ordered as AMC-5R.

2011 050A (37813) Name: IGS-6A Country: Japan Launch date: 23 September 2009 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Tanegashima Launch vehicle: H 2A-202 Orbit: 588 x 591 km, inclination: 97.7 °

Military reconnaissance satellite with optical imaging equipment as described for 2003 009A. Also known as Kougaku-4, Optical-4 and Optical-6

2011 051A (37816) Name: Atlantic Bird-7 Int. Agency: Eutelsat Launch date: 24 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Odessey Launch vehicle: Zenit 3SL Orbit: geostationary at 7°W

Communications satellite owned by Eutelsat and built by EADS Astrium using a Eurostar E3000 platform. The 4600 kg satellite was fitted with 56 Ku band transponders. In March 2012 it was renamed as Eutelsat 7 West-A.

2011 052A (37818) Name: TacSat-4 (JWS-1) Country: USA Launch date: 27 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kodiak Launch vehicle: Minotaur 4+ Orbit: 341 x 11843 km, inclination: 63.5 o

The TacSat-4 satellite provided mobile communications services, data relay from terrestrial sensors and friendly forces tracking using 10 UHF channels. The 460 kg satellite was developed for the Naval research Laboratory and was placed in a highly elliptical, 4- hour orbit (12,050 kilometers at peak) to provide typical payload communication periods of two hours per orbit. The satellite was also known as Joint Warfighting Space (JWS)-1.

2011 053A (37820) Name: Tiangong-1 Country: China Launch date: 29 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Jiuquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2FT1 Orbit: 336 x 353 km, inclination: 42.8 °

The name Tiangong (meaning Palace in heaven) has been connected to a series of space station missions. Tiangong-1, an 8500 kg docking target, was not part of the planned Tiangong space station and was intended to be used in the development of test docking techniques starting with the uncrewed Shenzhou-8 (2011 063A) spacecraft. Subsequent pictures indicated that Tiangong-1 was more like a small space station than a docking target. Later Shenzhou-9 (2012 032A) and -10 (2013 029A) docked with the module that provided a safe room for Chinese astronauts to live in and conduct research in zero gravity. The spacecraft had a length of 10.40 m and consisted of an experiment module with a diameter of 3.35 m and a resource module with a diameter of 2.80 m.

Deployment dates

2 November 2011 Shenzhou-8 (2011 063A) docked 14 November 2011 Shenzhou-8 undocked and redocked after 32 minutes 17 November 2011 Shenzhou-8 undocked 18 June 2012 Shenzhou-9 (2012 032A) docked 24 June 2012 Shenzhou-9 undocked and redocked manually after 93 minutes 28 June 2012 Shenzhou-9 undocked 13 June 2013 Shenzhou-10 (2013 029A) docked 23 June 2013 Shenzhou-10 undocked and redocked manually after 101 minutes 25 June 2013 Shenzhou-10 undocked

2011 054A (37826) Name: QuetzSat-1 Country: Mexico Launch date: 29 September 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 77 °W

Communications satellite built by Space Systems/Loral and owned SES Satellite Leasing Limited and operated by the Mexican QuetzSat corporation. The 5514 kg satellite was based on the LS-1300 platform and was fitted with 32 Ku band transponders. The satellite was moved to 61.5 oW in October 2012 and back to 77 oW in January 2013.

2011 055A (37829) Name: Kosmos-2474 Country: Russia Launch date: 2 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat Orbit: 19104 x 19156 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Glonass M navigational satellite as described for 2001 053A.

2011 056A (37834) Name: Intelsat-18 Int. Agency: Intelsat Launch date: 5 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Zednir 3SLB Orbit: geostationary at 180 °E

Communications satellite owned by Intelsat and built by Orbital Sciences using the STAR-2 platform. The 3200 kg satellite carried 24 C band and 12 Ku band transponders.

2011 057A (37836) Name: Eutelsat W-3C Int. Agency: Eutelsat Launch date: 7 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3B/E Orbit: geostationary at 16 oE

Communications satellite as described for 2010 056A. In March 2012 it was renamed as Eutelsat 16-A.

2011 058A (37838) Name: Megha-Tropiques Country: India Launch date: 12 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV-CA Orbit: 852 x 869 km, inclination: 19.9 °

A joint French/Indian satellite, Megha-Tropiques, studied the meteorological conditions which lead towards tropical cyclones. Based on the ISRO IRS platform, the 1000 kg satellite carried three experiments: 1. MADRAS, a microwave imager aimed mainly at studying precipitation and clouds properties; 2. SAPHIR, a 6 channel microwave radiometer for the retrieval of water vapour vertical profiles and horizontal distribution; and 3. SCARAB, a radiometer devoted to the measurement of outgoing radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere. MADRAS was developed jointly by ISRO and CNES whereas SAPHIR and SCARAB were developed by CNES.

2011 058B (37839) Name: Jugnu Country: India Launch date: 12 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV-CA Orbit: 839 x 866 km, inclination: 19.9 °

Developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur,Jugnu was a 3U cubesat with a mass of 3 kg. It’s objective was to collect agricultural, weather and soil information. It was also used for disaster management. The primary instrument was the Micro Imaging System, a near infrared camera which was used to observe vegetation. It also carried a GPS receiver to aid tracking and demonstrated a microelectromechanical inertial measurement unit.

2011 058C (37840) Name: VesselSat-1 Country: Luxembourg Launch date: 12 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV-CA Orbit: 848 x 867 km, inclination: 19.9 °

VesselSat-1 was a microsatellites owned by Luxspace to provide spacecraft-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) sensors in low-Earth orbit as a means of tracking maritime assets. The satellite had a mass of 28.7 kg. Orbcomm was the licensee for VesselSat-1 data and the satellite was also known as Orbcomm FM-42.

2011 058D (37841) Name: SRMSat Country: India Launch date: 12 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Sriharikota Launch vehicle: PSLV-CA Orbit: 851 x 867 km, inclination: 19.9 °

Sri Ramaswamy Memorial University Satellite (SRMSat) was a 10.9 kg satellite developed by students at the SRM University at Chennai, India. Its purpose was to provide hands on experience to the students. The scientific objective of SRMSat was to monitor greenhouse gases in near infrared region with a grating spectrometer.

2011 059A (37843) Name: ViaSat-1 Country: USA Launch date: 19 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 115 °W

ViaSat-1 was a high capacity broadband satellite operated by the US based Viasat corporation in cooperation with Canada’s Telesat. The 6740 kg satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral using the LS-1300 platform and was fitted with 56 Ka band transponders.

2011 060A (37846) Name: Galileo IOV-1 Int. Agency: ESA Launch date: 21 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 23239 x 23304 km, inclination: 54.7 °

The four Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) satellites were built by Astrium and Thales Alenia as the first satellites in the Galileo satellite navigational system. The Galileo system consisted of a total of 30 spacecraft in three planes in medium Earth orbit, which each was occupied by nine satellites, and with three spares satellites distributed on the three orbital planes. The system provided accurate positioning data to users as far north as 75 o longitude. The 675 kg IOV satellites carried two rubidium frequency standards atomic clocks and two passive hydrogen masers atomic clocks. Following on from the four Galileo IOV satellites, the Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellites were constructed by OHB System and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) as described for 2014 050A. The IOV satellites were named after winners in a children’s drawing competition held in the ESA membership states. The first satellite was named after the eleven-year-old Thijs from Belgium and was also referred to as Protoflight Model (PFM) and was, presumably, also Flight Model (FM)-1.

2011 060B (37847) Name: Galileo IOV-2 Int. Agency: ESA Launch date: 21 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 23230 x 23268 km, inclination: 54.7 °

Navigational satellite as described for 2011 060A. The satellite was named after the nine-year-old Natalia from Bulgaria and was also referred to a Flight Model (FM)-2.

2011 061A (37849) Name: NPP Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 817 x 819 km, inclination: 98.7 °

The National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) was a joint mission of NASA and the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO). It was later renamed as Suomi NPP, after the late Verner E. Suomi, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin who is recognized widely as "the father of satellite meteorology. The mission continued key measurements in support of long-term monitoring of climate trends and of global biological productivity. The 2132 kg satellite carried: 1. the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), a 22-channel passive microwave radiometer to create global models of temperature and moisture profiles used in weather forecasting models; 2. the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), a Michelson interferometer to monitor characteristics of the atmosphere, such as moisture and pressure used in both short-and-long term weather forecasting; 3. the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) an advanced nadir-viewing sensor and a limb-viewing sensor to record ozone measurements from space; 4. the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) a 22-band radiometer to collect visible and infrared views of Earth's dynamic surface processes, such as wildfires, land changes, and ice movement as well as atmospheric and oceanic properties, including clouds and sea surface temperature; and 5. the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), a 3-channel radiometer to measure reflected solar radiation, emitted terrestrial radiation, and total radiation.

2011 061B (37850) Name: AubieSat-1 Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 460 x 815 km, inclination: 101.7 °

AubieSat-1 was a satellite launched as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III initiative. The 1 kg cubesat was developed at the Auburn University and studied radio wave propagation through the ionosphere and tested solar panel protective films. An amateur radio transponder on board was known as Oscar-71 or AO-71.

2011 061C (37851) Name: Explorer-1 Prime-2 Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 458 x 816 km, inclination: 101.7 °

Explorer-1 Prime-2 was a reflight of the satellite that failed to be orbited on 4 March 2011 using a second unit that had been built at the Montana State University. The satellite was launched as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III initiative. In orbit the satellite was renamed as the Hiscock Radiation Belt Explorer (HRBE) after William A. Hiscock.

2011 061D (37852) Name: M-Cubed Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 458 x 816 km, inclination: 101.7 °

The Michigan Multipurpose Minisat (M-Cubed) was developed at the University of Michigan, as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III initiative. The 1 kg satellite carried a camera system to obtain mid resolution images of the Earth. It is believed M-Cubed’s magnets used for passive attitude control, caused the satellite to attach itself to Explorer-1-Prime-2 (2011 061D) rendering the satellite unusable.

2011 061E (37853) Name: RAX-2 Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 458 x 816 km, inclination: 101.7 °

The Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX)-2 was a satellite launched as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III initiative. A joint venture between the University of Michigan and SRI International, the primary objective was to study large plasma formations in the ionosphere. The 2.8 kg satellite carried a radar receiver and a GPS payload.

2011 061F (37854) Name: DICE-1 Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 457 x 816 km, inclination: 101.7 °

The Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment (DICE) satellites were launched as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III initiative. The two 1.5 kg satellites were built at the Utah State University to investigate the geomagnetic Storm Enhanced Density (SED) occurring during magnetic storms. After deployment one of the satellites trailed within 200 kilometers of the other. Each spacecraft carried an electric field probe, two Langmuir probes, and science-grade magnetometer.

2011 061G (37855) Name: DICE-2 Country: USA Launch date: 28 October 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Vandenberg Launch vehicle: Delta 7920-10 Orbit: 457 x 817 km, inclination: 101.7 °

Scientific satellite as described for 2011 061F.

2011 062A (37857) Name: Progress M-13M Country: Russia Launch date: 30 October 2011 Re-entry: 25 January 2012 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 185 x 231 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Cargo transfer spacecraft as described for 2008 060A. Progress M-13M docked at the Pirs nadir port of ISS (1998 067A) on 2 November 2011. The flight was also known as ISS-45P. The spacecraft undocked on 23 January 2012. Following this it released the Chibis-M (2011 062C) satellite on 24 January 2011.

2011 062C (38051) Name: Chibis-M Country: Russia Launch date: 24 January 2012 Re-entry: 15 October 2014 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz U Orbit: 491 x 508 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Chibis-M, also known as RS-39, was a 40 kg satellite built by the Space Research Institute (IKI) that was carried into space by Progress M-13M (2011 062A) and was deployed from Progress M-13M after the it left the ISS. It carried a plasma-wave experiment to study the interrelation of the plasma-wave processes connected with the manifestation in the ionosphere of solar–magnetosphere–ionosphere–atmosphere connections and the parameters of space weather.

2011 063A (37859) Name: Shenzhou-8 Country: China Launch date: 31 October 2011 Re-entry: 17 November 2011 Launch site: Jiquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2F Orbit: 333 x 336 km, inclination: 42.8 °

Shenzhou-8 was an unmanned spacecraft as described for 1999 061A to test docking techniques with Tiangong-1 (2011 053A). It carried two dummies to simulate the crew members. The spacecraft carried the German Science in Microgravity Box (SIMBOX), a 25 kg experimental facility containing 40 experiment units containing 17 experiments in the biology and medicine disciplines. Nine of the experiments were provided by China, six by Germany and two were joint experiments. The German experiments were: 1. a study into the gravitation-oriented swimming behavior of Euglena; 2. the differentiation of human nerve cells under weightlessness; 3. the influence of microgravity on human cancer cells; 4. the signal processing in cells of the immune system in weightlessness; 5. a study of plant genes and plant proteins in weightlessness; and 6. an analysis of genes dependent on gravitation in Aradopsis thaliana. The two joint experiments were; 1. a miniature ecosystem with algae and fish to study the material and energy flows in a closed system; and 2. an investigation into the crystallisation of medically relevant proteins in space. Some experiments were simple devices contained in a single experiment unit, such as miniature aquariums or plant chambers, but others consisted of several experiment units. Of the forty units some were exposed to zero gravity whereas others were placed in a centrifuge producing Earth-like gravity, allowing comparison of pairs of samples.

The spacecraft docked on 2 November 2011 and undocked again on 14 November 2011 and moved 140 m meters away before redocking 32 minutes later. Shenzhou-8 again undocked on 17 November 2011.

2011 064A (37867) Name: Kosmos-2476 Country: Russia Launch date: 4 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: 18999 x 19172 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Glonass M navigational satellite as described for 2001 053A.

2011 064B (37868) Name: Kosmos-2477 Country: Russia Launch date: 4 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: 19160 x 19321 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Glonass M navigational satellite as described for 2001 053A.

2011 064C (37869) Name: Kosmos-2475 Country: Russia Launch date: 4 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: 19019 x 19178 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Glonass M navigational satellite as described for 2001 053A.

2011 065A (37872) Name: Phobos-Grunt Country: Russia Launch date: 8 November 2011 Re-entry: 15 January 2012 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Zenit 2SB Orbit: 207 x 342 km, inclination: 51.4 °

The Phobos-Grunt (meaning Phobos-Soil) mission was first considered in the early 1990s as a joint Russian/US project. It was envisaged that the launch, with a Proton launch vehicle, would take place in 1998. The spacecraft was to land on the surface of the Martian moon Phobos and return a soil sample back to Earth. In addition it would study Mars from its orbit. However, after that the US participation was cancelled, the project was put on hold to be revived in October 2005 as a less ambitious mission with a smaller spacecraft. In June 2006 Russian aerospace company NPO Lavochkin started manufacturing and testing the development version of the spacecraft's on-board equipment. The launch vehicle had now been changed to a Soyuz 2/Fregat. In November 2006 it was announced that China would provide a sub-satellite designated as Yinghuo-1. This 110 kg satellite was mounted on top of the main spacecraft and was to be released in a Martian orbit of 800 km × 80000 km, with an inclination of 36°. The additional payload mass required a change to a Zenit 2SB launch vehicle.

The objectives of the mission were: 1. to collect soil samples from Phobos and return them to Earth for scientific research on Phobos, Mars, and Martian space; 2. in situ and remote studies of Phobos including analysis of soil samples after their return to Earth; 3. monitoring the atmospheric behavior of Mars, including the dynamics of dust storms; 4. studies of the vicinity of Mars, to include its radiation environment and plasma and dust; 5. the study of the origin of the Martian satellites and their relation to Mars; 6. the study of the role played by asteroid impacts in the formation of terrestrial planets; and 7. search for possible past or present life through so called biosignatures.

Yinghuo-1

The instruments on the 11,100 kg spacecraft included: 1. the French Gas Analytic Package (GAP) comprising a Pyrolyser - Thermal-Differential Analyzer (TDA), a Laser Spectrometer (TDLAS), a Mass-Spectrometer (MS) and a Gas-Chromatograph (GC); 2. a French camera package comprising two panoramic cameras (PANCAM) at the end of each arm, a pair of stereoscopic cameras (STEREO PAIR) and a visible microscope (MICROMEGA VIS); 3. the Chinese Soil Offloading and Preparation System (SOPSYS), a microgravity grinding tool; 4. the Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE), which will send 10 types of microorganisms and a natural soil colony of microbes on the three-year round trip; 5. the Mars Meteorological Station (MMS) a Finnish instrument that will be released in a separate Mars orbit; 6. the TV System for Navigation and Guidance (TSNN), two television cameras to navigate the spacecraft and make high resolution images of Phobos; 7. a Gamma ray spectrometer; 8. a Neutron spectrometer; 9. an Alpha X spectrometer; 10. a Seismometer; 11. a Long-wave radar; 12. a Visual and near-infrared spectrometer; 13. a Dust counter; 14. an Ion spectrometer; and 15. an Optical solar sensor.

The spacecraft was expected to be placed in a Martian orbit on 12 October 2012. The landing on Phobos was scheduled for February 2013 with the lift-off of the 11 kg sample return probe planned about a month later. This probe was to return to Earth by August 2014 with 200 grams of soil.

The scientific objectives of Yinghuo-1 were the detailed investigation of the plasma environment and magnetic field, the study of Martian ion escape processes and possible mechanisms whilst it was also to conduct ionosphere occultation measurements between Yinghou-1 and the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft. Finally it would have observed sand stroms. The payload consisted of a plasma package, consisting of an electron analyzer and an ion analyzer and mass spectrometer, a fluxgate magnetometer, a radio-occultation sounder and an optical imager camera with 200 m resolution. The spacecraft would have remained in a Martian orbit for one year.

Once in low-Earth orbit two rocket burns by the Fregat upper stage, scheduled for three hours after lift-off, were supposed to propel the probe on a course towards Mars. However, the engine firings did not occur as planned. There has also been a report that two objects were observed in orbit. The Fregat upper stage had been regularly used to place satellites in high-altitude orbits. This was, however, the first occasion that Fregat was used for an interplanetary mission and it was supposed to remain attached to the spacecraft for course correct maneuvers and a critical braking burn to arrive in orbit around Mars in October 2012. It was eventually concluded that cosmic radiation caused a computer failure. The spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere.

2011 066A (37874) Name: Tianxun-1 Country: China Launch date: 9 November 2011 Re-entry: 7 February 2016 Launch site: Taiyuan Launch vehicle: CZ 4B Orbit: 479 x 489 km, inclination: 97.4 °

Technology satellite developed at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

2011 066B (37875) Name: YW-12 Country: China Launch date: 9 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Taiyuan Launch vehicle: CZ 4B Orbit: 488 x 489 km, inclination: 97.4 °

Earth observation satellite as described for 2006 015A. The satellite was also known as Jian Bing 10-2.

2011 067A (37877) Name: Soyuz TMA-22 Country: Russia Launch date: 14 November 2011 Re-entry: 27 April 2012 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz FG Orbit: 370 x 412 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Crewed spaceflight with cosmonauts A.Shkaplerov (Cmdr.), D.Burbank (USA) (Fl. Eng.) and A.Ivanishin (Fl. Eng.) using a Soyuz TMA spacecraft as described for 2002 050A. The mission was also known as ISS-28S and the call sign was Astra. They were members of the twenty ninth permanent crew (EX-29) and later the thirtieth permanent crew (EX- 30) for ISS. The spacecraft docked at the Poisk docking port of ISS (1998 067A) on 16 November 2011. The spacecraft undocked on 27 April 2012. The mission had lasted 165 days, 7 hours, 31 minutes.

2011 068A (37930) Name: CX 1-3 Country: China Launch date: 20 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Jiuquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2D Orbit: 784 x 804 km, inclination: 98.4 °

Experimental communications satellite as described for 2003 049B.

2011 068B (37931) Name: Shiyan-4 Country: China Launch date: 20 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Jiuquan Launch vehicle: CZ 2D Orbit: 784 x 803 km, inclination: 98.4 °

A scientific satellite to test new technologies for the study of the environment. The satellite was built by the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology.

2011 069A (37933) Name: Asiasat-7 Country: Hong Kong Launch date: 25 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationa at 105.5 °E

Asiasat-7 was a communications satellite owned Asia Satellite Telecommunications and built by Space Systems/Loral using the LS-1300 platform. The 3760 kg satellite carried 28 C-band and 17 Ku-band transponders as well as a Ka-band payload. The satellite was initially ordered as Asiasat-5C, a back up for the Asiasat-5 satellite. In March 2013 the satellite was moved to 120 oE asnd to 118 oE in the next month. In March 2014 it was moved back to 105.5 oE again..

2011 070A (37936) Name: MSL Country: USA Launch date: 26 November 2011 Re-entry: 6 August 2012 Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch vehicle: Atlas V-541 Orbit: trans martian trajectory

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), also known as the Curiosity Rover, was a Mars rover vehicle that carried the biggest, most advanced suite of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to the martian surface. The rover collected soil samples that were studied on board of the rover vehicle in order to detect chemical building blocks of life, such as forms of carbon, on Mars and assess what the martian environment was like in the past. At launch and during the trans-martian journey the rover vehicle was carried inside a 3400 kg cruise stage that was fitted with an aeroshell heatshield. The spacecraft arrived at Mars on 6 August 2012. At an altitude of 1100 km the interaction with the martian atmosphere began. After a re-entry phase of about 7 minutes and an altitude of 125 km, the spacecraft’s 15 m diameter parachute was deployed following which the heatshield was separated. At an altitude of 20 m and 12 seconds before the landing, the upright rover was lowered by the sky crane structure powered by 8 descent engines, to the surface on a 7.6 m tether. Touchdown was confirmed at 5.33 UTC. The sky train then flew away from the landing site and was dumped in the immediate surroundings as were other components involved in the landing.

The selected landing site was the Gale Crater, a 154 km wide crater that contains a mountain that could be climbed by the rover vehicle and provide details of clay and sulphate deposits at various heights. The 900 kg rover was capable of traveling an average 30 meters per hour, with a maximum speed of 90 meters per hour. It was also able to handle obstacles that are up to 75 cm high. The rover was propelled by electricity generated by a radioisotope power system. The instruments on the rover vehicle were: 1. Mars Science Laboratory Mast Camera, a camera that will perform multi-spectral, stereo imaging at lengths ranging from kilometers to centimeters; 2. ChemCam: Laser Induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and Micro-Imaging, will ablate surface coatings from materials at standoff distances of up to 10 meters and measure elemental composition of underlying rocks and soils; 3. MAHLI: MArs HandLens Imager for the Mars Science Laboratory, to image rocks, soil, frost and ice at resolutions 2.4 times better; 4. The Alpha-Particle-X-ray-Spectrometer for Mars Science Laboratory (APXS), to determine elemental abundance of rocks and soil; 5. CheMin: An X-ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence (XRD/XRF) instrument for definitive mineralogical analysis in the Analytical Laboratory of MSL, which will identify and quantify all minerals in complex natural samples such as basalts, evaporites and soils; 6. Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), to characterize the broad spectrum of radiation at the surface of Mars, an essential precursor to human exploration of the planet; 7. Mars Descent Imager (MARDI), to produce high-resolution color-video imagery of the MSL descent and landing phase, providing geological context information, as well as allowing for precise landing- site determination; 8. Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) with an integrated suite consisting of a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, and a tunable laser spectrometer, to perform mineral and atmospheric analyses, detect a wide range of organic compounds and perform stable isotope analyses of organics and noble gases. 9. Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), a Russian radiation detector to investigate liquid or frozen, absorbs neutrons to search for subsurface ice on Mars; 10. Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) a Spanish instrument to monitor atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind currents, and ultraviolet radiation from the Sun; and 11. Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) to collect engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere. The Curiosity rover transmitted its first pictutes on the same day as the landing.

Curiosity remained at the landing site for a few weeks whilst collecting scientific data of the landing site and testing its instruments. After that it will move itself over a period of six weeks, to a place named Glenelg (named after a Canadian rock formation) where it will remain for the rest of 2012. Following this it will move to the foothills of Mount Sharp, a rugged terrain that represents one of the major goals of the mission and that is about seven kilometers from the landing site. Curiosity will attempt to climb the lower slopes of Mount Sharp to look for signs of carbon compounds and evidence of past or present habitability. The initial mission was to last a full Martian year of 687 Earth days, ending on 24 June 2014, but was subsequently extended. By February 2016 it had travelled over 12 km.

2011 071A (37938) Name: Kosmos-2478 Country: Russia Launch date: 22 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat Orbit: 19130 x 19612 km, inclination: 64.8 °

Glonass M navigational satellite as described for 2001 053A.

2011 072A (37941) Name: YW-13 Country: China Launch date: 29 November 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Taiyuan Launch vehicle: CZ 2C Orbit: 505 x 511 km, inclination: 97.1 °

Earth observation satellite as described for 2006 015A. It was also known as Jian Bing 7-2.

2011 073A (37948) Name: Beidou 2-IGSO5 Country: China Launch date: 1 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3A Orbit: 35706 x 35866 km, inclination: 55.3 °

Navigational satellite in the Compass system as described for 2007 011A.

2011 074A (37950) Name: Amos-5 Country: Israel Launch date: 11 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 17 °E

Communications satellite owned by Space Communications Ltd of Israel and built by Reshetnev using the Ekspress-1000N platform. The 1600 kg satellite carried 18 C band and 18 Ku band transponders provided by Thales Alenia. The satellite ceased to operate on 21 November 2015.

2011 074B (37951) Name: Luch 5-A Country: Russia Launch date: 11 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Proton M/Briz M Orbit: geostationary at 58.5 °E

Luch 5-A was the first of two communications relay satellite for Russia. The satellite was based on the Ekspress-1000 platform and was fitted with S- and Ku-bands data relay equipment. The 1148 kg satellite also carried a COSPAS/SARSAT transponder operating in the P and L-bands. The satellite was moved to 95 °E in June 2012 and 167 oE in December 2012.

2011 075A (37954) Name: IGS-7A Country: Japan Launch date: 12 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Tanegashima Launch vehicle: H 2A-202 Orbit: 486 x 489 km, inclination: 97.4°

Military reconnaissance satellite as described for 2003 009B. It has also been referred to as Reda-3 and Radar-3.

2011 076A (38007) Name: ELISA 1-A Country: France Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 677 x 692 km, inclination: 98.2 °

The four ELectronic Intelligence by Satellite (ELISA) spacecraft demonstrated a future operational programme ROEM (Elint) for mapping the positions of radar and other transmitters throughout the world and determining their technical characteristics. In particular the 120 kg satellites provided data to keep databases used for electronic warfare up to date and to detect and monitor activities during operations. The Myriade based satellites were built by Astrium and were placed in a similar orbit but a few kilometres apart. It was also known as ELISA W11.

2011 076B (38008) Name: ELISA 1-B Country: France Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 676 x 692 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Experimental intelligence gathering satellite as described for 2011 076A. It was also known as ELISA E24.

2011 076C (38009) Name: ELISA 1-C Country: France Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 678 x 692 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Experimental intelligence gathering satellite as described for 2011 076A. It was also known as ELISA W23.

2011 076D (38010) Name: ELISA 1-D Country: France Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 675 x 692 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Experimental intelligence gathering satellite as described for 2011 076A. It was also known as ELISA E12.

2011 076E (38011) Name: SSOT Country: Chile Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 623 x 624 km, inclination: 98.0 °

The Sistema satelital para Observación de la Tierra (SSOT) was a high resolution Earth observation satellite built by Astrium. Based on the AeroSat-100/Myriade platform the 117 kg satellite was fitted with equipment that was capable of supplying images with a resolution of 1.45m in panchromatic mode and 5.8m in each of four colour bands in multispectral mode.

2011 076F (38012) Name: Pleïades HR-1 Country: France Launch date: 17 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Kourou Launch vehicle: Soyuz ST Orbit: 696 x 697 km, inclination: 98.2 °

Pleïades Haute Resolution (HR)-1 was the first of two Earth observation satellites. A follow on to the Spot series of satellites as described for 1986 019A, the 970 kg satellite was fitted with a high-resolution optical imaging instrument that provided a ground resolution of 70 centimeters across a 20 kilometer swath. A very high degree of agility allowed the acquisition of several images successively along track or off track, for mosaicking of ground scenes. The satellite was built by Astrium .and was also referred to as Pleïades-1A.

2011 077A (38014) Name: NigComSat-1R Country: Nigeria Launch date: 19 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Xichang Launch vehicle: CZ 3B/E Orbit: geostationary at 42.5 °E

Communications satellite to replace NigComSat-1 (2007 018A) that suffered a solar power failure on 10 November 2008. The satellite was identical to NigComSat-1.

2011 078A (38036) Name: Soyuz TMA-03M Country: Russia Launch date: 21 December 2011 Re-entry: 1 July 2012 Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz FG Orbit: 375 x 408 km, inclination: 51.6 °

Crewed spaceflight with cosmonauts O.Kononenko (Cmdr.), A.Kuipers (ESA, The Netherlands) (Fl. Eng.), and D.Pettit (USA) (Fl. Eng) using a modified Soyuz TMA spacecraft as described for 2010 052A. The mission was also known as ISS-29S and PromISSe and the call sign was Antares. They were members of the thirtieth permanent crew (EX-30) and later the thirty first permanent crew (EX-31) for ISS. The spacecraft docked at the MRM-1 docking port of ISS (1998 067A) on 23 December 2011. The spacecraft undocked on 1 July 2012. They landed the same day and their mission had lasted 192 days, 18 hours, 58 min.

2011 079A (38038) Name: Zi Yuan 1-2C Country: China Launch date: 22 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Taiyuan Launch vehicle: CZ 4B Orbit: 771 x 773 km, inclination: 98.6 °

Zi Yuan 1-2C was an Earth resources satellite as described for 1999 057A.

--- Name: Meridian-5 Country: Russia Launch date: 23 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Plesetsk Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat Orbit: failed to orbit

Communications satellite as described for 2006 061A. A failure of the second stage prevented the satellite from achieving orbit and instead it crashed in Siberia.

2011 080A (38040) Name: Globalstar FM-84 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1a/Fregat Orbit: 919 x 927 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-13

2011 080B (38041) Name: Globalstar FM-80 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 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 2-14.

2011 080C (38042) Name: Globalstar FM-82 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 Re-entry: in orbit Launch site: Baikonour Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2-1a/Fregat Orbit: 919 x 927 km, inclination: 52.0 °

Communications satellite as described for 2010 054A. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-15.

2011 080D (38043) Name: Globalstar FM-92 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 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 2-16.

2011 080E (38044) Name: Globalstar FM-90 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 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. The satellite was also known as Globalstar 2-17.

2011 080F (38045) Name: Globalstar FM-86 Country: USA Launch date: 28 December 2011 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 2-18.