SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 515

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1996-057A (24324) STS 79            16 Sep
1996-056A (24320) USA 128           12 Sep
1996-055A (24313) ECHOSTAR 2        11 Sep
1996-054A (24315) GE 1              08 Sep
1996-053A (24307) INMARSAT 3 F2     06 Sep
1996-052B (24305) UNAMSAT-B         05 Sep
1996-052A (24304) Cosmos 2334       05 Sep
1996-051A (24297) Cosmos 2333       04 Sep
1996-050C (24293) INTERBALL AURORA  29 Aug
1996-050B (24292) MAGION 5          29 Aug
1996-050A (24291) MICROSAT          29 Aug

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1996-057A

STS 79 is an American Shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral at 08:54 UT to dock with the Russian Mir station. It ferried an American astronaut to Mir and was to return another American astronaut from Mir. It also hauled 924 kg of scientific instruments and 636 kg of water to Mir and hauled back from Mir 397 kg of material. It docked with Mir at 03:13 on 19 September, and undocked at 01:34 UT on 24 September. A high-temperature oven capable of melting iron was to be tested inside the Spacehab module on the shuttle. Initial orbital parameters were period 92.1 min, apogee 385 km, perigee 375 km, and inclination 51.6 deg.

1996-056A

USA 128 is an American military/navigational spacecraft that was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Sir Station. It is the latest addition to the GPS constellation listed in section C2. Initial orbital parameters were period 937.5 min, apogee 33,649 km, perigee 17,055 km, and inclination 61.5 deg.

1996-055A

ECHOSTAR 2 is an American geosynchronous communications spacecraft that would provide voice and video transmissions to North America.

1996-054A

GE 1 is an American geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by an Atlas 2A rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station at 09:49 UT to provide voice and video communications to North America.

1996-053A

INMARSAT 3 F2 is a geosynchronous communications spacecraft of that international consortium that was launched by a Proton rocket from Baykonur cosmodrome. It will enable communications among mobile objects on sea, land, and air.

1996-052B

UNAMSAT-B is a Mexican microsatellite of 17 kg mass that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by the light-weight Kosmos 3M booster at 12:48 UT. It will monitor micrometeorite impacts in the upper atmosphere. Initial orbital parameters were period 104.8 min, apogee 1,010 km, perigee 966 km, and inclination 82.9 deg.

1996-052A

Cosmos 2334 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched by a Kosmos 3M booster from Plesetsk cosmodrome. Initial orbital parameters were period 104.9 min, apogee 1,023 km, perigee 988 km, and inclination 82.9 deg.

1996-051A

Cosmos 2333 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched from Baykonur cosmodrome by a Zenith 2 rocket at 21:01 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 101.9 min, apogee 852 km, perigee 842 km, and inclination 71.0 deg

1996-050C

INTERBALL AURORA, also known as PROGNOZ 2M (or M2) or as INTERBALL 2, is a Russian-Ukrainian space physics sapacecraft that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Molniya-M booster at 05:22 UT. The 1,250 kg spacecraft carries several instruments to monitor the magnetic field, plasma and energetic particles in the Earth's magnetosphere as they relate to the auroral phenomena. (A companion spacecraft, INTERBALL TAIL had been launched a year earlier.) Initial orbital parameters were period 347 min, apogee 19,202 km, perigee 774 km, and inclination 62.5 deg.

1996-050B

MAGION 5 is a 58 kg Czech sub-satellite of INTERBALL AURORA that was launched by a Molniya-M booster from Plesetsk cosmodrome. It carries a number of instruments to measure the magnetic field, plasma, and energetic particles in the magnetosphere. Its initial orbital parameters (after release from INTERBALL AURORA at 09:45 UT) were period 347 min, apogee 19,204 km, perigee 774 km, and inclination 62.5 deg. It is reported to have experienced malfunctions (at least) during the initial orbits.

1996-050A

MICROSAT, also known as MuSat, is an Argentine 33 kg microsatellite that was laucnhed by a Molniya-M booster from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 05:22 UT. It carries instruments to photograph natural resources. Initial orbital parameters were period 98.7 min, apogee 1,149 km, perigee 231 km, and inclination 62.08 deg.

C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation

Category I

1. Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric or geodetic studies. To see a list select here.
2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies. To see a list select here.

   The GPS 2-NN series orbits in six distinct planes that are about 60 deg apart. Each plane has five "slots." Following are the 2-NN members in the planes/slots. The RAAN decreases or increases by about 1.0 deg each month; below are their approximate RAAN longitudes in July 1996.

   PLANE    RAAN OF PLANE SLOT-1     SLOT-2      SLOT-3      SLOT-4  SLOT-5
   
     A           226       2-21       2-12        2-15        2-04
     B           286       2-18                   2-02        2-22
     C           348       2-24       2-25        2-19        2-20   2-13
     D            51       2-11       2-09        2-05        2-23
     E           108       2-01       2-08        2-26        2-10   2-03
     F           167       2-16       2-14        2-06        2-17
   

3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. To see a list select here.

   The GLONASS NNN series orbit in three distinct planes that are 120 deg apart. Each plane has eight "slots". Following are the members of the planes/slots.

      Plane 1              Plane 2              Plane 3
   slot-1   771         slot-9    776/778    slot-17   760
   slot-2   757         slot-10   781        slot-18   758
   slot-3   763         slot-11   785        slot-19   777
   slot-4   762         slot-12   767        slot-20   765
   slot-5   249         slot-13   782        slot-21   756
   slot-6   764         slot-14   770        slot-22   766
   slot-7   759         slot-15   780        slot-23   761
   slot-8   769         slot-16   775        slot-24   774
   

   Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC) Russian Space Forces
   E-mail: sfcsic@iki3.bitnet; sfcsic@iki3.iki.rssi.ru; sfcsic@mx.iki.rssi.ru
   Home page WWW.IKI: http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/SFCSIC_main.html

4. Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. Additional information is not available.

   Designations       Common Name                    1996
   
   1996-053B (24308)  R/B INMARSAT 3                06 Sep
   1996-011A (23798)  SOYUZ TM-23                   03 Sep
   

5. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.)

   NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S is an archival center for science data from many spacecraft. Some data are on line for electronic access. Please contact the NSSDC Request Coordination Office, Code 633, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (request@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov). Information on the current status of the instruments on board from the investigators will be most welcomed. Precomputed trajectory files and orbital parameters of many magnetospheric and heliospheric science-payload spacecraft may be FTP'ed from NSSDC's ANON_DIR:[000000.ACTIVE] and its several subdirectories. (See About the SPACEWARN Bulletin for access method; a file in the ACTIVE directory named AAREADME.DOC, outlines the contents.) It can also be accessed via the WWW at:
   http://sscop1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc.html

   This URL also enables executing several codes related to the orbits of many geocentric science payload spacecraft. The codes related to the heliospheric spacecraft trjectories can be executed through:
   http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/helios/heli.html

   Magnetospheric, Planetary, and Astronomical science data from many spacecraft may be accessed through links from the URL:
   http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Questions/comments about the content of these pages should be directed to: The World Warning Agency for Satellites, wwas@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov National Space Science Data Center, Mail Code 633 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771

NASA Official: J. H. King, joe.king@gsfc.nasa.gov
V1.0: 30 September 1996
Last Updated: 04 November 1996, EVB II