NASA/TM–2008–214779 HISTORY OF ON-ORBIT SATELLITE FRAGMENTATIONS 14th Edition Orbital Debris Program Office June 2008 THE NASA STI PROGRAM OFFICE . IN PROFILE Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to • CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. Collected the advancement of aeronautics and space papers from scientific and technical science. The NASA Scientific and Technical conferences, symposia, seminars, or other Information (STI) Program Office plays a key meetings sponsored or cosponsored by part in helping NASA maintain this important NASA. role. • SPECIAL PUBLICATION. 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Abercromby Debra Shoots National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 June 2008 (Information Cut-off Date: 1 August 2007) Available from: NASA Center for AeroSpace Information National Technical Information Service 7115 Standard Drive 5285 Port Royal Road Hanover, MD 21076-1320 Springfield, VA 22161 301-621-0390 703-605-6000 This report is also available in electronic form at http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/ Preface to the Fourteenth Edition The first edition of the History of On-Orbit Satellite Fragmentations was published by Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) in August 1984, under the sponsorship of the NASA Johnson Space Center and with the cooperation of the United States Air Force Space Command and the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Command. The objective was to bring together information about the 75 satellites, which had at that time experienced noticeable breakups. This update encompasses all known satellite fragmentations. This update is published by the NASA Johnson Space Center, Orbital Debris Program Office with support from the Engineering and Sciences Contract Group. Since the thirteenth edition (published in May 2004) there have been 21 identified on-orbit breakups and seven anomalous events, for a historical total of 194 fragmentations and 51 anomalous events. This activity has resulted in an approximately 27% increase in the historical cataloged debris count (since 31 December 2003), which includes on-orbit and decayed objects. More significant, an increase of 69% in the on-orbit debris count is observed since the last edition. The reason for these large increases was the intentional destruction of the Fengyun 1C spacecraft on 11 January 2007. If this event had not occurred, the increase in the historical cataloged debris count would have been only 6% (vice 27%) and the increase in on-orbit debris would have been only 8% (vice 69%). The current authors would like to recognize the substantial contributions of the authors of previous editions of this document. In addition, the assistance of personnel of U.S. Space Command, Air Force Space Command, Naval Network and Space Operations Command (formerly Naval Space Command), and Teledyne Brown Engineering has been vital to the present work. The information cut-off date for this edition is 1 August 2007. i CONTENTS Preface to the Fourteenth Edition................................................................................. i ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. ix 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Definition of Terms.........................................................................................................2 1.2 Information Sources and Accuracy................................................................................. 3 1.3 Environment Overview................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 On-Orbit Spatial Density 4 1.3.2 Population Distribution 6 2.0 SATELLITE BREAKUPS...................................................................................... 9 2.1 Background and Status ................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Identified Satellite Breakups......................................................................................... 27 TRANSIT 4A R/B 1961-015C 118...............30 SPUTNIK 29 1962-057A 443...............32 ATLAS CENTAUR 2 1963-047A 694...............34 COSMOS 50 1964-070A 919...............36 COSMOS 57 1965-012A 1093.............38 COSMOS 61-63 R/B 1965-020D 1270.............40 COSMOS 95 1965-088A 1706.............42 OV2-1/LCS 2 R/B 1965-082DM 1822.............44 OPS 3031 1966-012C 2015.............46 GEMINI 9 ATDA R/B 1966-046B 2188.............48 PAGEOS 1966-056A 2253.............50 AS-203 1966-059A 2289.............52 COSMOS U-1 1966-088A 2437.............54 COSMOS U-2 1966-101A 2536.............56 COSMOS 199 1968-003A 3099.............58 APOLLO 6 R/B 1968-025B 3171.............60 OV2-5 R/B 1968-081E 3432.............62 COSMOS 248 1968-090A 3503.............64 COSMOS 249 1968-091A 3504.............66 COSMOS 252 1968-097A 3530.............68 METEOR 1-1 R/B 1969-029B 3836.............70 INTELSAT 3 F-5 R/B 1969-064B 4052.............72 OPS 7613 R/B 1969-082AB 4159.............74 NIMBUS 4 R/B 1970-025C 4367.............76 COSMOS 374 1970-089A 4594.............78 COSMOS 375 1970-091A 4598.............80 COSMOS 397 1971-015A 4964.............82 COSMOS 462 1971-106A 5646.............84 LANDSAT 1 R/B 1972-058B 6127.............86 SALYUT 2 R/B 1973-017B 6399.............88 COSMOS 554 1973-021A 6432.............90 NOAA 3 R/B 1973-086B 6921.............92 DMSP 5B F5 R/B 1974-015B 7219.............94 NOAA 4 R/B 1974-089D 7532.............96 iii COSMOS 699 1974-103A 7587.............98 LANDSAT 2 R/B 1975-004B 7616...........100 NIMBUS 6 R/B 1975-052B 7946...........102 COSMOS 758 1975-080A 8191...........104 COSMOS 777 1975-102A 8416...........106 COSMOS 838 1976-063A 8932...........108 COSMOS 839 1976-067A 9011...........110 COSMOS 844 1976-072A 9046...........112 NOAA 5 R/B 1976-077B 9063...........114 COSMOS 862 1976-105A 9495...........116 COSMOS 880 1976-120A 9601...........118 COSMOS 884 1976-123A 9614...........120 COSMOS 886 1976-126A 9634...........122 COSMOS 903 1977-027A 9911..........124 COSMOS 917 1977-047A 10059.........126 HIMAWARI 1 R/B 1977-065B 10144.........128 COSMOS 931 1977-068A 10150.........130 EKRAN 2 1977-092A 10365.........132 COSMOS 970 1977-121A 10531.........134 LANDSAT 3 R/B 1978-026C 10704.........136 COSMOS 1030 1978-083A 11015.........138 NIMBUS 7 R/B 1978-098B 11081.........140 COSMOS 1045 R/B 1978-100D 11087.........142 P-78 (SOLWIND) 1979-017A 11278.........144 COSMOS 1094 1979-033A 11333.........146 COSMOS 1109 1979-058A 11417.........148 COSMOS 1124 1979-077A 11509.........150 CAT R/B 1979-104B 11659.........152 COSMOS 1167 1980-021A 11729.........154 COSMOS 1174 1980-030A 11765.........156 COSMOS 1191 1980-057A 11871.........158 COSMOS 1217 1980-085A 12032.........160 COSMOS 1220 1980-089A 12054.........162 COSMOS 1247 1981-016A 12303.........164 COSMOS 1260 1981-028A 12364.........166 COSMOS 1261 1981-031A 12376.........168 COSMOS 1275 1981-053A 12504.........170 COSMOS 1278 1981-058A 12547.........172 COSMOS 1285 1981-071A 12627.........174 COSMOS 1286 1981-072A 12631.........176 COSMOS