SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 517

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1996-065C (24662) WSF 3                       23 Nov
1996-065B (24661) ORFEUS-SPAS                 20 Nov
1996-066A (24663) Progress M-33               19 Nov
1996-065A (24660) STS 80                      19 Nov
1996-064A (24656) Mars 96                     16 Nov
1996-063B (24653) MEASAT 2                    13 Nov
1996-063A (24652) ARABSAT 2B                  13 Nov
1996-062A (24648) Mars Global Surveyor  (MGS) 07 Nov
1996-061A (24645) Pegasus                     04 Nov

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1996-065C

WSF 3 (Wake Field Facility 3) is an American migrogravity module that was released from STS 80. The four-meter diameter, 2,000 kg steel saucer was to grow ultra-purity semiconductors on its rear side where the module's wake is an ultra-vacuum. Its orbital parameters were very close to those of STS 80. It was recaptured by the shuttle on the 26 November 1996.

1996-065B

ORFEUS-SPAS is a 3,500 kg, U.S.A.-German UV-astronomy telescope that was released from STS 80; it was to be retrieved after a few days of proximate orbit, with orbital parameters very close to that of STS 80.

1996-066A

Progress M-33 is a Russian automatic cargo spacecraft that was launched by a Soyuz-Y rocket from Baykonur to dock with and unload supplies to Mir. It delivered 2,400 kg of food, fuel and equipment. Initial orbital parameters were period 90.1 min, apogee 308 km, perigee 255 km, and inclination 51.6 deg.

1996-065A

STS 80 is an American shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral at 19:53 UT. The main mission was to release and recapture two free-flyers, WSF-3 and ORFEUS-SPAS. Initial orbital parameters were period 91.6 min, apogee 358 km, perigee 347 km, and inclination 28.4 deg.

1996-064A

Mars 96 is a Russian spacecraft that was launched from Baykonur by a Proton-K rocket. The spacecraft encountered release problems from the fourth stage rocket; after release it re-entered the atmosphere over the southern Pacific ocean, after one or two Earth orbits. It was to have enabled collection and analysis of Martian soil by two robotic rovers.

1996-063B

MEASAT 2 (Malaysia East Asian Satellite 2) is a Malayan geostationary communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane-44L rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:40 UT to provide voice and video communications to Malaysia and neighboring countries.

1996-063A

ARABSAT 2B is an Arab League geostationary satellite that was launched from Kourou in French Guiana by an Ariane 44L rocket at 22:40 UT. The 2,600 kg satellite will provide voice and video communications to the Arab countries.

1996-062A

Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is an American spacecraft to remote-sense the atmosphere and soil composition of Mars. It was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 17:01 UT. It is expected to reach Mars-centered orbit during September 1977; after another 180 days of high apogee "aerobraking orbit", it will descend to a low circular "mapping orbit" of period 117 minutes and map the surface features for a total of 687 Earth days. The mapping will be done by a thermal emission spectrometer, a laser altimeter, and three line- scan cameras at visual wavelengths. The telemetry signals from the spacecraft will enable estimation of Martian atmospheric profile.
Note: More information on Mars Global Surveyor is available on the WWW at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/marsurv.html.

1996-061A

Pegasus is actually the rocket that was to have launched an Argentine satellite, SAC-B, and an American satellite, HETE. Neither satellite could be separated from Pegasus and both remained inoperative. The rocket was launched from an L-1011 aircraft flying out of NASA's Wallops facility in Virginia, USA.

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

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

   Designations       Common Name                    1996
   
   1996-032D (23876)  PAM-STU                       26 Oct
   1996-043A (24071)  PROGRESS M-32                 21 Nov
   1996-064A (24656)  MARS 96                       18 Nov
   1986 049A (16802)  MOLNIYA 3-29                  10 Nov
   1996-045B (24274)  R/B MOLNIYA 1                 21 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.)

                        MUSES-B/VSOP LAUNCH
                        ------------
   From:   SMTP%"yana@crl.go.jp" 27-NOV-1996 01:22:06.96
   To:     KING
   CC:
   Subj:   SPACEWARN
   
   Message-Id: <199611270622.PAA06166@crlsv.crl.go.jp>
   To: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
   Cc: yana@crl.go.jp
   Subject: SPACEWARN
   From: Tomio Yanagiya <yana@crl.go.jp>
   X-Mailer: WINBIFF [Version 1.60]
   References: <199611260549.OAA10350@crlsv.crl.go.jp>
   Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 15:22:00 +0900
   Mime-Version: 1.0
   Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
   
   KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
   27/0600Z NOV 96
   FM CRL KOKUBUNJI JAPAN
      232611 DEMPA J
   TO WWA FOR SATELLITES WORLD DATA CENTER-A GSFC CODE 632.2 GBLT MD
   
   SPACEWARN 33851
   PRELAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT
   SPACECRAFT NAME                      MUSES-B/VSOP
   PLANNED LAUNCH DATE                  FEB. 7,1997
   COUNTRY                              JAPAN
   ORBIT TYPE                           ELLIPTIC ORBIT
   PERIGEE                               1,000 KM
   APOGEE                               20,000 KM
   INCLINATION                          31.3 DEGREE
   COVERAGE CYCLE DURATION              NOT APPLICABLE
   TIME OF DESCENDING NODE EQUATOR CROSSING   NOT APPLICABLE
   WEIGHT                               --830 KG
   ORBIT PERIOD                         --6 HOUR
   POSITION OF STATIONARY ORBIT         NOT APPLICABLE
   ALLOWED LONGITUDE ERROR              NOT APPLICABLE
   TRANSMITTING FREQUENCY AND OUTPUT POWER    2.2GHz, 2.5W
   MISSION LIFE                         3- 5 YEARS
   LAUNCH ORGANIZATION   INSTITUTE OF SPACE ANS ASTRONAUTICAL
                         SCIENCE   (ISAS)
   SPACECRAFT
    1. RADIO ASTRONOMY USING SPACE VLBI TECHNIQUE
    2. TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT INCLUDING LARGE ANTENNA
       DEPLOYMENT
   
   [SPACEWARN Bulletin invites other National Agencies to provide pre-launch
   announcements in very similar format and only as electronic mail only to
   Dr. J. H. King, Director, WDC-A-R&S: king@nsscda.gsfc.nasa.gov.]
   

   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: 27 November 1996
Last Updated: 19 December 1996, EVB II