SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 502

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1995-042A (23642) Molniya 3-47   Aug 09
1995-041A (23639) KOREASAT 1     Aug 05
1995-040A (23636) PANAMSAT 4     Aug 03
1995-039F (23646) Magion 4       Aug 03
1995-039A (23632) Interball Tail Aug 02
1995-038A (23628) USA 113        Jul 31
 

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1995-042A

Molniya 3-47 is a Russian communications spacecraft that was launched by a Molniya-M booster from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 03:21 UT. It is expected to provide voice and TV coverage for a wide area between western Europe and eastern Siberia. Initial orbital parameters were period 13 hr, 17 min, apogee 40,851 km, perigee 472 km, and inclination 62.8 deg.

1995-041A

KOREASAT 1, also known as MUGUNGHWA 1 is a South Korean communications spacecraft that was launched by a Delta-2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 11:10 UT. It carries 15 Ku-band transponders to provide TV coverage for South Korea and other Asian countries. The final stage of the rocket failed to separate from the spacecraft which, therefore, failed to achieve a geostationary orbit. Plans are to use up some of the reserved fuel to move it to the geostationary orbit (over the Solomon Islands); this fuel loss will entail a reduced operational lifetime. Initial orbital parameters were period 17.7 hr, apogee 29,798 km, perigee 26,777 km, and inclination 0.07 deg.

1995-040A

PANAMSAT 4, also known as PAS 4, is an American geostationary spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:58 UT. The 3,043 kg spacecraft carries 16 30-Watt C-band transponders and 24 60-Watt Ku-band transponders, and is expected provide 320 radio channels and 120 "DirecTV" channels. The parking longitude is 69 deg, E.

1995-039F

Magion 4, sometimes known as S2-X or S2-T, is a Czech subsatellite of the Russian Interball Tail, and was released from it 9 hr, 21 min after its launch. The 50 kg subsatellite carries a number of instruments: two for plasma measurements, three for E/B waves, three for energetic particles/x-rays, and a magnetometer. Initial orbital parameters were very close to those of Interball Tail; it will be maneuvered to remain at desired locations within 100,000 km from the main spacecraft.

1995-039A

Interball Tail (occasionally refered to as INTERBOL 1, or Prognoz M2) is a Russian spacecraft that was launched at 23:59 UT from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Molniya-M booster. The 1,250 kg spacecraft carried many instruments: five for energetic particles/x-rays, nine for E/B fields and waves, and eight for cold/hot plasma. It released the subsatellite Magion 4 after nine hours into flight. Both spacecraft are part of the multinational ISTP program. Initial orbital parameters were period 91 hr, apogee 192,000 km, perigee 776 km, and inclination 63 degrees.

1995-038A

USA 113, also known as DSCS 3, is an American military spacecraft that was launched by an Atlas-2A rocket at 11:30 UT from Cape Canaveral.

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
   

   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
   
   1995-026B (23585)  R/B COSMOS 2312                 08 Aug
   1993-060A (22808)  COSMOS 2264                     07 Aug
   1994-060E (23271)  R/B COSMOS 2291                 29 Jul
   1995-037D (23623)  R/B COSMOS 2316-2318            25 Jul
   1995-036B (23618)  R/B PROGRESS M-28               23 Jul
   1995-035A (23612)  STS 70               Landed on  22 Jul
   

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.) It can also be accessed via the WWW at:
   http://sscop1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc.html

   ERRATUM: In SPX 501, the International ID's for Cosmos 2314 and STS 71 in Sec. B have been corrected to 1995-031A and 1995-030A, respectively (rather than 1994).

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: 01 September 1995, EVB II