Friday, April 24, 1987
Thursday, April 23, 1987
DFH-14
1984-008A
The first Chinese experimental comsat was launched in Jan 1984. The third stage of the Chang Zheng 3 rocket failed to restart, leaving the satellite in a low orbit, but a successful test of the apogee motor and stationkeeping propulsion system was carried out. The satellite was referred to as Shiyan Weixing (Experimental Satellite) compared to the later STTW name, implying that this satellite may not have carried an actual communications payload.
| SW | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Jan 29 | 1225 | Launch by CZ-3 | XSC |
| T+2:06 St 1 MECO | |||
| T+2:07 St 2 burn | |||
| T+4:15 St 2 MECO | |||
| T+4:19 Fairing | |||
| T+4:22 St 2 VECO | |||
| T+4:23 Stage 3 burn | |||
| 1236 | T+11:08 MECO-1 | 92.0 292 x 447 x 31.0 | |
| 1240 | Stage 3 MES-2 | ||
| 1240 | Stage 3 cutoff after 3s, T+903s | ||
| 1984 Jan 30 | 0811? | AKM burn | 160.7 360 x 6474 x 36.0 |
| 1984 Jan 31 | 160.80 358 x 6475 x 36.0 | ||
| 1984 Feb 8 | 160.74 355 x 6473 x 36.0 | ||
| 1984 Feb | Hydrazine RCS burns | ||
| 1984 Feb 10 | 160.78 356 x 6475 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Feb 11 | 161.28 378 x 6495 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Feb 12 | 161.51 379 x 6511 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Feb 14 | 162.27 394 x 6559 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Feb 15 | 162.64 401 x 6581 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Mar 11 | 162.63 402 x 6579 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Mar 12 | 163.17 446 x 6579 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Mar 29 | 163.20 446 x 6581 x 36.2 | ||
| 1984 Mar 30 | 163.60 480 x 6580 x 36.1 | ||
| 1984 Apr 16 | 163.55 475 x 6581 x 36.2 | ||
| 1984 May 12 | 163.44 469 x 6578 x 36.2 | ||
| 1984 Jul 7 | 163.33 462 x 6577 x 36.2 | ||
| 1984 Sep 19 | 163.37 461 x 6580 x 36.1 | ||
Discoverer 14
1960-010
Following the success of Discoverer XIII, the next mission went back to use of the AET capsule with the Model C (KH-1) camera. CORONA KH-1 Mission 9009 was snatched in mid-air and - on 19 Aug 1960 - completed the first successful spy satellite mission, returning more coverage of the USSR than all U-2 overflights put together. The first spy satellite photo was an image of the Mys-Schmidta air base; the Plesetsk ICBM site was also imaged.
| KH-1 Mission 9009 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Aug 18 | 1957:08 | Launch by Thor Agena A | V Pad 4 |
| 1957:14 | Launch (test report), az 172.4 deg | ||
| 1959 | Thor MECO (T+2:45) | ||
| 1959 | Thor VECO (T+2:54) | ||
| 2000 | Thor sep (T+3:02) | ||
| 2001:46 | Agena burn (T+4:38) 115.8s | ||
| 2002:54 | T+5:46 Thor apogee | -5472 x 193 | |
| 2003:41 | Agena cutoff (T+6:33) | 192 x 821 x 79.5 | |
| 94.55 186 x 805 x 79.8 (RAE) | |||
| 187 x 806 x ? (VCR) | |||
| 94.4 177 x 803 x 79.6 (SATCAT) | |||
| 1960 Aug 18 | 2232 | 94.48 178 x 809 x 79.7 | |
| 1960 Aug 19 | 1108 | 94.43 178x 804 x 79.7 | |
| 1960 Aug 19 | 2246 | SRV ejected rev 17 | |
| 2243:31 | SRV ejection (test report) | ||
| 2243:34 | SRV deorbit over 169.67W 50.05N | ||
| 2243:46 | T/C sep | ||
| 2248? | Entry | ||
| 2251:29 | Para deploy 24 15N 163 24W | ||
| 2253 | AOS signal from SRV | ||
| 2304 | Visual sighting | ||
| 2309 | SRV recovered 2.6km above Pacific, C-119 No. 9 | ||
| 17 06N 162 21W (final report) | |||
| 17 30N 162 20W (20 Aug telex) | |||
| 2323 | SRV reeled aboard aircraft | ||
| 1960 Aug 22 | 1742 | 94.01 178 x 763 x 79.7 | |
| 1960 Aug 30 | 1900 | 93.00 182 x 658 x 79.7 (RAE) | |
| 1960 Sep 10 | 0230 | 91.00 175 x 470 x 79.7 (RAE) | |
| 1960 Sep 16 | 1507 | 87.51 151 x 151 x 79.7 | |
| 1960 Sep 16 | 0030? | CORONA/Agena reentered | |
Payload:
- Agena 1056
- Model C Camera
- Satellite Recovery Vehicle, Mission 9009