SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 557

SPACEWARN Activities

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UTC).

     2000-017A (26113) IMAGE                 25 March
     2000-016B (26108) INSAT 3B              21 March 
     2000-016A (26107) AsiaStar              21 March
     2000-015A (26106) Fregat RB/Cluster 2   20 March
     2000-014A (26102) MTI                   12 March
     2000-013A (26098) Express 2A            12 March

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation

1. 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 SPX 545. The list will not be repeated in future issues until significantly revised again.

2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies. ("NNN" denotes no national name. SPACEWARN would appreciate suggestions to update this list. An asterisk [*] denotes changes in this issue.)

   High precision (<20 cm) GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International Association of Geodesy (IGS)

        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 SPX-518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem It provides many links to GPS related databases.

3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates/additions from readers to this list. Entries marked "*" are updates or additions to the list.)

   All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers (nnnn) 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 appeared in SPX-545. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source at: http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/english.html maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC),Russian Space Forces.

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

   Designations         Common Name              Decay Date (2000)
   
   1990-093B     (20919) R/B Delta 2                   26 Mar
   1979-032A     (11331) COSMOS 1093                   23 Mar
   1985-074A     (15977) MOLNIYA 1-64                  22 Mar
   1999-062E     (25965) R/B Soyuz-U                   19 Mar
   1999-047H     (26060) R/B Proton-K (Aux. motor)     15 Mar
   2000-013B     (26099) R/B Proton-K                  14 Mar
   1996-034F     (23887) R/B Proton-K                  12 Mar
   1999-058E     (25947) R/B Soyuz-U                   04 Mar
   1993-067B     (22876) R/B Cosmos                    02 Mar
   

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.)

   Here are more changes to the names/IDs of the satellites, as reported by the USSPACECOM:

   1998-023B (25307) GLOBALSTAR 6;    1998-023D (25309) GLOBALSTAR 8;
   1999-058B (25944) GLOBALSTAR M059; 1999-058C (25945) GLOBALSTAR M056;
   1999-059D (25946) GLOBALSTAR M031.
   
   2000-004J (26091) PICOSAT 3; 2000-004K (26092) PICOSAT 4;
   2000-004L (26093) PICOSAT 5; 2000-004M (26094) PICOSAT 6.
   
   2000-013A (26098) EXPRESS 2A; 1997-029A (24834) FENGYUN;
   1997-029C (25611) FENGYUN 2 AKM.
   

6. 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 633, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (request@nssdca.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 accessed via anonymous FTP from NSSDC. (See About the SPACEWARN Bulletin for access method; a file in the active directory named AAREADME.TXT, outlines the contents.)

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

   Programs related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed through the URL,
   http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/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/

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, 05 April 2000
Last updated: 01 September 2000, EVB II