SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 501

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1995-037C (23622) Cosmos 2318    Jul 24
1995-037B (23621) Cosmos 2317    Jul 24
1995-037A (23620) Cosmos 2316    Jul 24
1995-036A (23617) Progress M-28  Jul 20
1995-035B (23613) TDRS 7         Jul 13
1995-035A (23612) STS 70         Jul 13
1989-084E (NILL ) Galileo probe  Jul 13
1995-034A (23609) USA 112        Jul 10
1995-033C (23607) UPM/LBSAT      Jul 07
1995-033B (23606) Cerise         Jul 07
1995-033A (23605) Helios 1A      Jul 07
1995-032A (23603) Cosmos 2315    Jul 05
1995-031A (23601) Cosmos 2314    Jun 28
1995-030A (23600) STS 71         Jun 27

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1995-037C, 1995-037B, 1995-037A

Cosmos 2318, Cosmos 2317, and Cosmos 2316 are the latest members of the Russian GLONASS fleet of navigational/positioning spacecraft. They were launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baykonur cosmodrome at 16:52. Currently, the fleet consists of 18 operational and one backup spacecraft and will have the complete 25 spacecraft by the end of 1995. Approximate initial orbital parameters were period 11 hr, 16 min, altitude 19,100 km, and inclination 64.4 deg. Configuration of the GLONASS constellation is listed in section C-3.

1995-036A

Progress M-28 is a Russian automatic cargo spacecraft that was launched from Baykonur cosmodrome at 03:05 UT by a Soyuz-U rocket. It docked with Mir at 05:40 UT on 22 July and delivered 2.4 tonnes of supplies to Mir station on 22 July. [According to ITAR-TASS news agency, among the items delivered to MIR were two icons of St. Anasthasiya, the patron saint of former Yugoslavia, blessed by Patriarch Aleksiy II and Pope Paul II to bring peace among the factions.] Initial orbital parameters were close to those of MIR.

1995-035B

TDRS 7 is an American, geostationary Tracking and Data Relay Satellite that was launched from Shutle STS 70. It will relay data between spacecraft, and between spacecraft and ground stations, in F and Ku bands. The testing will be done for about six months while the TDRS is parked on 150 W longitude and moved to another longitude (probably 171 W) based on test results.

1995-035A

STS 70 is an American Shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral. Its main misssion was to launch the TDRS satellite. Initial orbital parameters were period 90.5 min, apogee 315 km, perigee 287 km, and inclination 28.4 deg.

1989-084E

Galileo probe was released from the Galileo spacecraft at 05:30 UT to begin its own trajectory for the eventual penetration of the Jupiter atmosphere on 7 December 1995 with a speed of 47 km/s. On 27 July Galileo will be maneuvered to orbit around Jupiter so that at the time the probe penetrates the atmosphere, Galileo will be just overhead to receive the telemetry signals. The 339 kg probe carries seven instruments: a helium abundance detector, an atmospheric structure instrument, a neutral mass spectrometer, a radiometer, a nephelometer, a lightning detector, and an energetic particle detector.

1995-034A

USA 112 is an American military spacecraft.

1995-033C

UPM/LBSAT is a Spanish experimental 47-kg spacecraft to test telecommunications capability and was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 17:23 UT, along with two other spacecraft. Initial orbital parameters were period 98.1 min, apogee 675 km, perigee 664 km, ands inclination 664 km.

1995-033B

Cerise is a French microsatellite of 50 kg mass and was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 17:23 UT. It is to eavesdrop on weak HF communications. Initial orbital parameters were period 98.1 min, apogee 675 km, perigee 666 km, and inclination 98.0 deg

1995-033A

Helios 1A is a French military, photo-surveillance satellite of 2.5 tonnes that was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 17:23 UT. It is believed to be capable of one-meter resolution pictures. Initial orbital parameters were period 98.3 min, apogee 680 km, perigee 678 km, and inclination 98.0 deg.

1995-032A

Cosmos 2315 is a Russian navigational spacecraft which was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Cosmos-3M rocket. Its hardware and the new KURS system that it carries will enable maritime traffic control and messages to individual vessels. Initial orbital parameters were period 105 min, apogee 1,027 km, perigee 988 km, and inclination 82.9 deg.

1995-031A

Cosmos 2314 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Suyuz-U rocket at 18:25 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 89.6 km, apogee 368 km, perigee 177 km, and inclination 67 deg.

1995-030A

STS 71 is an American Shuttle which was launched from Cape Canaveral at 19:32 UT. Its main mission was to dock the 100 tonne Shuttle with the 220 tonne Russian MIR station. The docking was successfully completed at 13:00 UT on 29 June. The mission is the first of a series of such exercises in connection with the planned international Alpha space station. STS 71 undocked from MIR at 12:10 UT on 4 July. Initial orbital parameters of the Shuttle at launch were period 91.3 min, apogee 385 km, perigee 296 km, and inclination 51.6 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 orbit in six distinct planes that are about 60 deg apart. Each plane has four "slots." Following are the 2-NN members in the planes/slots. The RAAN decreases by about 1.0 deg each month; below are their 24 May, 95 RAAN longitudes.

   PLANE    RAAN OF PLANE     SLOT-1     SLOT-2      SLOT-3      SLOT-4
   
     A           243           2-21       2-12        2-15        2-04
     B           303           2-18       2-07        2-02        2-22
     C             5           2-24       2-13        2-19        2-20
     D            67           2-11       2-09        2-05        2-23
     E           125           2-01       2-08        2-03        2-10
     F           185           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.

          Plane1               Plane2              Plane3
   slot1   771         slot 9              slot17   760
   slot2   757         slot10  *781        slot18   758
   slot3   763         slot11  *785        slot19   777
   slot4   762         slot12   767        slot20   765
   slot5   249         slot13              slot21   756
   slot6   764         slot14   770        slot22   766
   slot7   759         slot15  *780        slot23   761
   slot8   769         slot16   775        slot24   774
   slot8   769         slot16   775        slot24   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                    1995
   
   1995-030A (23600)  STS 71      Landed on           07 Jul
   1995-031B (23602)  R/B COSMOS 2314 [SL-04]         04 Jul
   1992-090A (22278)  AUSSAT B2                       29 Jun
   1995-026C (23586)  R/B (?) COSMOS 2312             22 Jun
   

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). 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.)

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
Last updated: 28 August 1995, EVB II