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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 |
| 01 November 1999 |
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1999-059A (25949) ORION 2 19 October 99
1999-058D (25946) Globalstar D 18 October 99
1999-058C (25945) Globalstar C 18 October 99
1999-058B (25944) Globalstar B 18 October 99
1999-058A (25943) Globalstar A 18 October 99
1999-057B (25941) SACI 1 14 October 99
1999-057A (25940) CBERS 1 14 October 99
1999-056A (25937) DirecTV 1-R 10 October 99
1999-055A (25933) NAVSTAR 46 (USA 145) 07 October 99
| 1999-059A | ORION 2 is an American geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44LP rocket from Kourou at 06:22 UT. The 3,800 kg (including 2,200 kg of fuel) and 10.6 kW spacecraft carries 48 Ku-band transponders to provide voice and video communications to the Americas, Europe, and Africa after parking eventually over 12 deg-W longitude. |
|---|---|
| 1999-058A, 1999-058B, 1999-058C, 1999-058D |
Globalstars A, B, C and D are the latest to join the fleet of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that enables communications among stationary or mobile phones located far away from cellular networks. They were launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur at 13:32 UT. This brings the total to 44 of the planned fleet of 48 satellites. One more Soyuz launch in November 1999 will complete the fleet, and a subsequent Delta 2 launch will provide four on-orbit spares. Initial orbital parameters of Globalstar A were period 112.5 min, apogee 1,349 km, and perigee 1333 km, and inclination 51.9 deg. The initial orbital parameters of the other three were, approximately, period 104 min, apogee 1000 km, perigee 860 km, and inclination 52 deg. |
| 1999-057A, 1999-057B | CBERS 1 and SACI 1
are Brazillion satellites that were launched
by a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Launch Center in central
China (PRC) at 11:16 a.m., Beijing time (08:16 UT ?). The 1,540 kg
CBERS 1 (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) carries three
high-resolution cameras to monitor environmental and vegetation
conditions in China, Brazil and other countries. (Sometimes CBERS 1
is named as ZY 1 in Chinese reports. It was jointly financed by
both governments.)
SACI 1 is a microsatellite of 60 kg that will monitor cosmic rays, magnetic field and plasma. At least one more SACI will be launched soon, probably by a Brazilian rocket, from Brazil. However, soon after launch communication to/from SACI 1 failed, and remains so. Initial orbital parameters of both were, approximately, period 99.6 min, apogee 745 km, and perigee 733 km, and inclination 98.6 deg. |
| 1999-056A | DirecTV 1-R is an American communications spacecraft that was launched at 03:28 UT from the sea launch platform, Odyssey, that floated on the equatorial Pacific ocean at 0.0 latitude and 154 deg-W longitude by an Ukrainian Zenit rocket. This is the first commercial launch by the Sea Launch consortium jointly owned by American, Russian and Ukrainian companies. The 3,800 kg spacecraft will provide video channels directly to home-based dishes in an anticipated 50 million homes in North America through its 16 high-power Ku-band transponders, after parking over 101 deg-W longitude. |
| 1999-055A | NAVSTAR 46 (also known as USA 145, and GPS 2R-3) is an American navigational spacecraft of the GPS fleet that was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 13:51 UT. This is the third of the 21 redesigned 2R series that may eventually replace the existing GPS fleet. With this launch, the GPS fleet has now 28 operational spacecraft. Initial orbital parameters are period 736.2 min, apogee 21,164 km, perigee 20,097 km, and inclination 53.1 deg. |
Note: The full list appeared in SPX 545. The list will not be repeated in future issues until significantly revised again.
High precision (<20 cm) GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International Association of Geodesy (IGS)
FTP: igscb.jpl.nasa.gov [directory /igscb]
WWW: http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/
E-mail: igscb@cobra.jpl.nasa.gov
The standard format of the GPS situation appeared in SPX-518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem It provides many links to GPS related databases.
The latest member of the GPS fleet is NAVSTAR 46 (also known as USA 145 and GPS 2R-3). See 1999-055A above for details.
All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers (nnnn) invoked by USSPACECOM have often differed from the numbers (NNNN) associated in Russia; when different, the USSPACECOM COSMOS numbers are shown in parentheses. The corresponding GLONASS numbers are Russian numbers, followed by the numbers in parentheses that are sometimes attributed to them outside Russia.
The operating frequencies in MHz are computed from the channel number K. Frequencies (MHz) = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K.
The standard format of the GLONASS situation appeared in SPX-515. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source at: http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/english.html maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC),Russian Space Forces.
Designations Common Name 1999 1998-069B (25550) SAC A 25 Oct 1997-010A (24744) ZEYA 25 Oct 1998-025F (25500) R/B Proton-K, upper stage 23 Oct 1981-002B (12134) R/B that launched MOLNIYA 3-14 23 Oct 1999-054A (25929) RESURS F-1 M 22 Oct 1999-058F (25948) R/B Soyuz-U 19 Oct 1986-079A (17038) MOLNIYA 3-30 15 Oct 1999-019E (25680) R/B Soyuz-U 14 Oct 1999-055B (25934) R/B Delta 2 07 Oct 1999-010F (25762) R/B Proton-K, upper stage 06 Oct 1984-063E (15076) R/B that launched RADUGA 15 03 Oct 1976-017C (08702) R/B Delta 1 (belated recognition)27 Nov 1982
The SOHO spacecraft (1995-065A) succeeded in orienting itelf toward Sun after new software was tranmitted as a substitute for the failed gyroscope. For details, see http://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/gnews/102299/102299.htm#gyros.
Lunar Prospector (1998-001A) which was made to crash on Moon's south polar region did not yield any signature of the hypothesised water table below the surface.
The following prelaunch announcement of MTSAT was received by the SPACEWARN Bulletin. The Bulletin welcomes such email announcements from other agencies also.