SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 504

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates.

1995-057A (23696) USA 114        Oct 22
1995-056A (23688) STS 73         Oct 20
1995-055A (23686) ASTRA 1-E      Oct 19
1995-054A (23680) LUCH 1         Oct 11
1995-053A (23678) PROGRESS M-29  Oct 08
1995-052A (23676) Cosmos 2321    Oct 06
1995-051A (23674) Cosmos 2320    Sep 29
1995-050A (23672) RESURS F20     Sep 26
1995-049A (23670) TELSTAR 402-R  Sep 24
 

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

1995-057A

USA 114 is an American military UHF communications spacecraft that was launched by an Atlas-2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Initial orbital parameters were period 479 min, apogee 27,571 km, perigee 277 km, and inclination 27.0 deg.

1995-056A

STS 73 is an American shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral after six postponements. The planned 16-day mission carries a USML-2 spacelab to carry out microgravity experiments related to fluid physics, material science, protein crystals, and combustion science. Initial orbital parameters were period 90 min, altitude 267 km, and inclination 39 deg.

1995-055A

ASTRA 1-E is a Luxembourg geostationary communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft is capable of relaying 54 to 108 digital TV programs to western Europe through its 18 Ku-band transponders.

1995-054A

LUCH 1 is a Russian geostationary military spacecraft that was launched from Baykonur cosmodrome by a Proton-K rocket at 14:26 UT. The parking longitude is 77 deg, E.

1995-053A

PROGRESS M-29 is a Russian automatic cargo spacecraft that was launched from Baykonur cosmodrome by a Soyuz-U rocket at 18:51 UT to ferry material, food, and fuel to MIR station. It docked with MIR at 20:23 UT on 10 October, 95. Initial orbital parameters were period 88.6 min, apogee 242 km, perigee 197 km, and inclination 51.6 deg.

1995-052A

Cosmos 2321 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched by a Cosmos-3M rocket from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 03:23 UT. Due to malfunction of the second stage, the spacecraft failed to achieve the desired orbit. About 10 days after the launch, the orbital parameters were period 95 min, apogee 785 km, perigee 258 km, and inclination 83 deg.

1995-051A

Cosmos 2320 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baykonur cosmodrome at 05:25 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 89.2 min, apogee 308 km, perigee 189 km, and inclination 64.9 deg.

1995-050A

RESURS F20 is a Russian remote sensing ecological spacecraft that was launched by a Soyuz-Y rocket from Plesetsk cosmodrome. The six-tonne spacecraft is expected to release a descent module carrying photographs at five-meter resolution after about 30 days of operation. Initial orbital parameters were period 88.9 min, apogee 276 km, perigee 194 km, and inclination 82.3 deg.

1995-049A

TELSTAR 402-R is an American geostationary spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane rocket at 00:06 UT. The 6.4 kW spacecraft replaces the failed 402 spacecraft launched in 1994 and will provide 48 channels of direct television and telecommunications to the continental USA for the next 13 years, after soon reaching the parking longitude of 89 deg, W.

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
   
   1995-054C (23682)  R/B LUCH 1                      12 Oct
   1995-053B (23679)  R/B PROGRESS M-29               10 Oct
   1995-004D (23472)  ODERACS 2B                      29 Sep
   1995-050B (23673)  R/B RESURS F20                  29 Sep
   

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

   This URL also enables executing several codes related to the orbits of many geocentric science payload spacecraft. The codes related to the heliospheric spacecraft trjectories can be executed through:
   http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/helios/heli.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: 25 October 1995
Last Updated: 09 November 1995, EVB II