SPACEWARN Activities

2007-021A

SinoSat 3 is a Chinese (PRC) geostationary communications satellite that was launched by a Long March 3A rocket from Xichang at 16:08 UT on 31 May 2007. It carries 10 C-band transponders to provide voice and video links to much of eastern Asia, after parking over 125° E longitude.

2007-020A,  2007-020C,  2007-020D,  2007-020F

Globalstar-A, Globalstar-B, Globalstar-C, and Globalstar-D are the latest four American Globalstar communications satellites in the Globalstar fleet that were launched by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from Baikonur at 20:31 UT on 29 May 2007. They are also known as Globalstar FM65, Globalstar FM69, Globalstar FM71, and Globalstar FM72, respectively. These second-generation craft each have a dry mass of 350 kg like the older 52 craft in the fleet, providing two-way transmission of voice and data from mobile and fixed stations. The initial orbital parameters of all four were similar: period 103.5 min, apogee 923 km, perigee 905 km, and inclination 52°.

2007-019B

PicoSat is only a generic name for the 1.0 kg craft that was launched with Yaogan 2 (2007-019A). It will validate design of microelectronic components. It was launched by a Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 07:12 UT on 25 May 2007. The initial orbital parameters were period 97.6 min, apogee 655 km, perigee 631 km, and inclination 97.85°.

2007-019A

Yaogan 2 is a Chinese (PRC) remote-sensing craft that was launched by a Long March 2D rocket at 07:12 UT on 25 May 2007. The data from it will help in crop estimates and disaster alert/remedy efforts. The initial orbital parameters were period 97.6 min, apogee 655 km, perigee 631 km, and inclination 97.85°.

2007-018A

NigComSat is a Nigerian geostationary communications satellite that was launched by a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang launch center on 13 May 2007. The 5.2 tonne (with fuel) craft carries four C-band, 18 Ku-band, four Ka-band, and two L-band transponders to provide voice, video, and data links to all of Africa, and southern Europe after parking over 42.5° E longitude.

2007-017A

Progress-M 60 is a Russian automatic cargo carrier that was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur at 03:25 UT on 12 May 2007. It is also known as Progress 25, presumably belonging to the new model. It carried 45 kg of air, 419 kg of water, and 1.4 tonne of dry cargo, 241 kg of fruits and vegetables, 136 kg of medical equipment. It docked automatically with the Zvezda module of the ISS at 05:10 UT on 15 May 2007.

2007-016B

Galaxy 17 is an American geostationary communications satellite that was launched by an Ariane 5ECA rocket from Kourou at 22:29 UT on 04 May 2007. The 4.1 tonne (with fuel), 9.5 kW craft carries 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders to provide telephone and television services to South and North America and Europe, after parking over 74° W longitude.

2007-016A

Astra 1L is a European (Luxembourg-based) geostationary communications satellite that was launched by an Ariane 5ECA rocket from Kourou at 22:29 UT on 04 May 2007. The 4.5 tonne (with fuel) craft carries 29 Ku-band and two Ka-band transponders to provide video and voice links direct-to-home in all of Europe, after parking over 19.2° E longitude.

Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric or geodetic studies.

NNSS denotes U.S. Navy Navigational Satellite System. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with information from the user community.

Note: The full list appeared in SPACEWARN Bulletin No. 545. The list will not be repeated in future issues until significantly revised.

Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies.

High precision (<20 cm) GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 400 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS). The IGS is a service of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG).

     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 SPACEWARN Bulletin No. 518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at:

http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html

It provides many links to GPS related databases.

The latest addition to the fleet is Navstar 59, 2006-052A.

Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation.

SPACEWARN requests updates/additions from readers to this list.

All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general Cosmos series. The Cosmos numbers 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 last appeared in SPACEWARN Bulletin No. 545. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source at: http://www.glonass-ianc.rsa.ru/ maintained by the Information-Analytical Center (IAC), Russian Space Agency.

According to CSIC the latest additions to the fleet are 2006-062A, 2006-062B, and 2006-062C.

Visually bright objects.

See http://www.space-track.org/perl/bulk_files.pl. Users must register. Conditions apply.

Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. No further information is available.

Designations         Common Name                  Decay Date (2007)

1988-112A (19713)    MOLNIYA 3-34                     27 May
2007-017B (31394)    R/B Soyuz-U                      15 May
2006-052C (29603)    R/B(1) Delta 2                   06 May
2006-055D (29662)    MARSCOM                          06 May

60-day Decay Predictions.

See http://www.space-track.org/perl/60day_decay_predict.pl. Users must register for access. Conditions apply

Miscellaneous Items.

This section contains information or data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.

Related NSSDC resources.

NSSDC/WDC for Satellite Information is an archival center for science data from many spacecraft. Many space physics datasets are on-line for electronic access through:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/

For off-line data, please contact the Request Office, NSSDC, Code 690.1, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (nssdc-request@listserv.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 obtained from:
http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/miscellaneous/orbits/

Other files of interest for Earth-centered spacecraft can be generated via the URL,
http://sscweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Programs related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed through the URL:
http://cohoweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/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/nmc/