SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 503

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1995-048C (23669) WSF 2          Sep 11
1995-048B (23668) SPARTAN 201    Sep 08
1995-048A (23667) STS 69         Sep 07
1995-047A (23665) Soyuz TM-22    Sep 03
1995-046A (23657) SICH 1         Aug 31
1995-045A (23653) Cosmos 2319    Aug 30
1995-044A (23651) N-STAR-A       Aug 29
1995-043A (23649) JCSAT 3        Aug 29
 

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1995-048C

WSF 2, also known as Wake Shield Facility 2, is an American spacecraft that was released from STS 69. The wake region behind the disk-shaped, 1935 kg spacecraft would have been even more vacuous than the ambient region and could have enabled growth of slimmer thin-film semiconductors through molecular beam epitaxy technique during a planned two-day mission. The experiment had to be terminated and the spacecraft retrieved sooner than was planned due to overheating problems; the result of the experiment is unavailable at this time. Initial orbital parameters were close to those of STS 69.

1995-048B

SPARTAN 201, an Amereican spacecraft, was released from STS 69 at 15:42 UT. It carried X-ray, and far-UV, and visible light instruments to study the solar Corona and galactic clusters during its two-day mission. At the time of its retrieval, it was unexpectedly found to be spinning; it remains to be determined whether any usable data were collected during its free flight. Initial orbital parameters were close to those of STS 69.

1995-048A

STS 69 is an American shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral at 15:09 UT. Its main mission was to release and recapture SPARTAN 201 and WSF 2. Initial orbital parameters were period 91.9 min, altitude 370 km, and inclination 28.4 deg.

1995-047A

Soyuz TM-22 is a Russian transport spacecraft that transported cosmonauts to Mir station for a 135 days stay. It was launched from Baykonur cosmodrome at 15:58 UT and docked at 17:30 UT on 5 September, 95 with Mir's KVANT-2 module, at the port that was vacated by Progress M-28 a day before. Initial orbital parameters were period 99.5 min, apogee 740 km, perigee 738 km, and inclination 69.9 deg.

1995-046A

SICH 1 is a Ukrainian remote sensing satellite that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Tsiklon-3 rocket at 13:50 UT. The spacecraft and instruments on board are similar to those of the Soviet Okean series. Its main mission is to monitor objects of several hundred meters in size, such as Arctic ice. A second payload, FASAT-ALPHA, which is a Chilean spacecraft of 50 kg mass, could not be separated from SICH 1, and so had to be muted. Initial orbital parameters were period 98.7 min, apogee 682 km, perigee 651 km, and inclination 82.53 km.

1995-045A

Cosmos 2319 is a Russian geostationary, military communications spacecraft that was launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baykonur cosmodrome at 02:30 UT.

1995-044A

N-STAR-A is a Japanese geostationary communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 4-P rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 06:41 UT. The 3.4-ton spacecraft will enter the parking longitude of 132 deg, east.

1995-043A

JCSAT 3 is a Japanese communications spacecraft that was launched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral at 00:53 UT. It carries eight transponders to provide 50 channels of digital television from its highly eccentric orbit. Initial orbital parameters were period 1,681.6 min, apogee 80,684 km, perigee 248 km, and inclination 23.1 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
   

   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
   
   1995-010A (23519)  SOYUZ TM21                      11 Sep
   1995-048A (23667)  STS 69           Landed on      18 Sep
   1995-049C (23669)  WSF 2       Retrieved by STS 69 14 Sep
   1995-049B (23668)  SPARTAN 201 Retrieved by STS 69 10 Sep
   1995-047B (23666)  R/B SOYUZ TM22                  06 Sep
   1995-031A (23601)  COSMOS 2314                     06 Sep
   1995-042B (23643)  R/B MOLNIYA 3-47                05 Sep
   1995-036A (23617)  PROGRESS M28                    04 Sep
   1995-045B (23664)  R/B COSMOS 2319                 03 Sep
   1995-018B (23550)  R/B OFEQ 3                      25 Aug
   1994-012F (23015)  R/B RADUGA 31                   25 Aug
   1983-058C (14130)  R/B ECS 1                       19 Aug
   1994-067E (23325)  R/B EXPRESS 1                   12 Aug
   

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.)

   Pioneer 11 spacecraft operation was discontinued as of 30 September, 1995; signal too weak to be detected.

   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

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: 29 September 1995
Last updated: 03 October 1995, EVB II