NATO 3C

 1978-106A

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NATO IIIC served as an orbital spare satellite before replacing NATO IIIB upon its retirement in 1986.

NATO IIIC
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1978 Nov 19	0046:00	Launch by Delta 2914	CC LC17
		T+0:38 SRM 1-6 off
		T+0:39 SRM 7-9 on
		T+1:17 SRM 7-9 off
		T+1:27 SRM 1-9 sep
		T+3:43 MECO
		T+3:46 SES-1
	0050	T+4:37 Fairing sep
	0054	T+8:51 SECO-1 160 km 7.864km/s	160 x 350? x ?
	0107	T+21:38 SES-2 178 km 7.437 km/s
	0107	T+21:49 SECO-2 7.53 km/s?	176 x 764 x 28.24
	0108	T+22:41 Stage 2 sep
	0109	T+23:22 TES
	0110	T+24:06 TECO	180 x 35790? x 27.7 (MOR)
	0111	T+25:15 Stage 3 sep
	0700?	Apo 1
	1700?	Apo 2
1978 Nov 20	0400?	Apo 3
	1400?	Apo 4
1978 Nov 21	0000?	Apo 5 at 170W?
1978 Nov 21	0130?	AKM
1978 Nov 30	0533		1428.56 35495 x 35783 x 4.4 GEO 172.6W+1.9E
1979 Jan 26			1428.48 35485 x 35789 x 4.3 GEO 61.7W+1.9E
1979 Feb		On station	GEO 50W
1979 Aug 31			1435.87 35779 x 35784 x 3.8 GEO 49.8W
1979 Sep		On orbit storage	GEO 50W
1981 Jan 3			1435.98 35780 x 35788 x 2.9 GEO 49.8W
1981 Jun			GEO 50W
1982 Oct 27			1436.18 35776 x 35800 x 1.5 GEO 48.9W
1982 Oct		mv out	GEO 50W
1983 Jan 20		mv in	1436.06 35777 x 35794 x 1.3 GEO 20.6W
1983 Jan		In storage	GEO 21W
1986 Sep			GEO 21.1W
1986 Nov 7			1436.04 35777 x 35794 x 2.2 GEO 20.7W
1986 Nov		In service replacing IIIB	GEO 27W dr
1987 Jan 5			1436.06 35774 x 35797 x 2.3 GEO 17.7W
1987 Jan 26		On station	GEO 17.6W
1989 Jan 29			1436.14 35775 x 35799 x 4.2 GEO 17.8W
1991 Jan 28			1436.15 35772 x 35803 x 5.5 GEO 18.0W
1991 Feb		Move to 21W
1991 Feb 25			1436.13 35783 x 35790 x 5.5 GEO 21.0W
1992 May 25			1436.13 35776 x 35798 x 6.4 GEO 21.0W
1992 May 31			1432.20 35778 x 35798 x 6.4 GEO 21.6W
1992 Jun 8		mv out	1441.45 35878 x 35798 x 6.4
1992 Jun 15		Orbit raise	1461.65 36271 x 36299 x 6.4
1992 Nov 30			1462.10 36283 x 36304 x 6.8

IRAS

 1983-004A

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IRAS carried out a far infrared survey of the sky in the 12, 25, 60 and 100 micron bands. The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was launched on 1983 Jan 26 by a Delta 3910 from Vandenberg into a 900 km sun-synchronous orbit. The aperture cover was ejected on 1983 Feb 1 and the infrared sky survey began on Feb 9. The liquid helium cryogen was depleted in Nov 1983 after 9 months of operation; after some engineering tests the satellite was turned off. It was reactivated in 1985 for tests of in-flight software reconfiguration.

IRAS
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1983 Jan 26	0217:00	Launch by Delta 3910	V SLC2
		T+0:57 SRM 1-6 burnoyt
		T+1:00 SRM 7-9 on
	0218:19	T+1:19 SRM 1-6 sep
		T+1:58 SRM 7-9 out
	0219:00	T+2:00 SRM 7-9 sep
	0220:47	T+3:47 MECO
		T+3:55 Stage 1 sep
	0221:00	T+4:00 SES-1 4:58
		T+4:04 Fairing
	0225:58	T+8:58 SECO	457 x 915 x 99.1
	0315:20	T+58:20 SES-2 7s
	0315:27	T+58:27 SECO-2
	0319:20	T+1:02:20 Delta sep	103.1 896 x 913 x 99.1
1983 Jan 31	1937	Aperture cover ejected
1983 Feb 9		Sky survey begins
1983 Nov 22	0130	helium depleted
1983 Nov 23		Engineering tests
1983 Nov?		end of ops
1985		Reactivated
1985 May 9		Deactivated
1985 May 10		Reactivated
1985 May 10		Deactivated
1985 Nov 7		Transmitter activated
1985 Nov 21		Telemetry ok
1985 Nov		Final deactivation

Payload:

• IR telescope: 60 cm (57cm?) Ritchey-Chretien f/9.6 Be mirror telescope cooled to 3K

Kosmos 490

  1972-036A

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Kosmos-490 was launched in May 1972 from Plesetsk. The 28th Zenit-2M (Gektor) flight lasted 12 days and carried a Nauka capsule with experiments to study the flow of cosmic ray electrons.

Kosmos-490
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1972 May 17	1019:59	Launch by 11A57	PL
	1024	Blok-I burn
	1028	Blok-I sep
	1434		89.40 205 x 284 x 65.4
	1900		89.39 205 x 285 x 65.42 (RAE)
1972 May 26	2024		89.25 201 x 273 x 65.4
1972 May 27	0605	Nauka capsule sep
	1116		89.03 200 x 252 x 65.4
1972 May 28	1403		89.23 200 x 271 x 65.4
1972 May 29	0320?	Retrofire
	0330?	PO sep
	0336?	Entry
	0352?	Landed

Kosmos 303

 1969-090A

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Kosmos-303, DS-P1-Yu No. 28, was another Subgroup 1 mission.

Kosmos-303
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1969 Oct 18	1000	Launch by 11K63	PL
	1002	Stage 2 burn
	1007?	Stage 2 sep
1969 Oct 20			91.91 270 x 466 x 70.99
1969 Dec 7	1033?	Stage 2 reentered
1970 Jan 4?		end of ops
1970 Jan 23	1955?	Reentered

Kosmos 249

  1968-091A

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The first antisatellite orbital test was Kosmos-249. The IS used a radar tracking system and a warhead filled with high explosive and shrapnel. The Kosmos-249 5V91 IS spacecraft was launched on 1968 Oct 20 into a low orbit. The rocket was tracked by RAE in a 136 x 254 km orbit later in the day; I speculate the original apogee was 500 km. The IS propulsion system ignited to place the spacecraft on an intercept course with Kosmos-248, launched the previous day. It passed within 1 km on the second orbit and then exploded at apogee.

Kosmos-249
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1968 Oct 20	0402	Launch by 11K67	KB
	0404	Stage 2 burn
	0407?	Stage 2 sep	88.38 136 x 254 x 62.4 (RAE)
	0415		86.90 104 x 137 x 62.27
	0440		136 x 501 x 62.3
	0453?	IS DU orbit change	501 x 501? x 62.3
	0555	IS DU orbit change 60N 58E	106.62 501 x 1638 x 62.23
	0733?	Intercept Kosmos-248
	0830?	Exploded at apogee
	2026		112.19 488 x 2165 x 62.3
	2257	(Stage 2 orbit)	87.66 135 x 182 x 62.3
1974 Jun 4			112.04 494 x 2145 x 62.3