Saturday, August 1, 1998
Wednesday, July 29, 1998
Gorizont 6
1982-103A
The sixth Gorizont satellite (11F662 No. 16) was launched by Proton from Baikonur on 1982 Oct 20.
| Gorizont 16 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 Oct 20 | 1626:00 | Launch by Proton | KB |
| 1635 | Stage 3 sep | 183 x 208 x 51.6 | |
| 1743? | DM burn 1 | 295 x 35808 x 47.3 | |
| 2258? | DM burn 2 | ||
| 2303? | Blok-DM No. 37L sep | ||
| 1982 Oct 20 | 1435.07 35706x35834x0.4 GEO 91E dr | ||
| 1982 Oct 26 | On station at Statsionar 6 | 1435.92 35749x35824x0.8 GEO 89.5E | |
| 1982 Nov 1 | 1435.97 35745 x 35822 x 0.8 GEO 89.7E | ||
| 1983 Apr 1 | 1436.13 35773 x 35801 x 0.4 GEO 90.3E | ||
| 1984 Jan 13 | 1436.20 35784 x 35793 x 0.3 GEO 89.8E | ||
| 1984 Mar 6 | mv out | 1436.13 35784 x 35790 x 0.5 GEO 90.1E | |
| 1984 Apr 15 | mv in | 1436.16 35755 x 35820 x 0.5 GEO 140.3E | |
| 1984 Apr 28 | 1436.26 35759 x 35820 x 0.5 GEO 140.0E | ||
| 1984 May | Statsionar 7/Luch 4/Volna 6 | GEO 140E | |
| 1986 Oct 28 | 1435.97 35779 x 35789 x 2.8 GEO 140.4E | ||
| 1988 Apr 18 | 1435.94 35780 x 35786 x 4.2 GEO 139.3E | ||
| 1988 Jul 19 | 143.10 35784 x 35789 x 4.5 GEO 140.5E | ||
| 1988 Jul 21 | mv out | 1431.97 35623 x 35788 x 4.5 GEO 142.8E+1.0E | |
| 1988 Sep 11 | mv in | 1436.03 35777 x 35793 x 4.6 GEO 170.0W | |
| 1989 Feb 10 | mv out | 1436.48 35791 x 35797 x 5.0 GEO 169.8W-0.1W | |
| 1989 Mar 28 | 1436.13 35782 x 35792 x 5.1 GEO 171.6W+0.01W | ||
| 1989 Apr 5 | out of service | ||
| 1989 Apr 27 | 1435.96 35778 x 35789 x 5.2 GEO 171.1W+0.03E | ||
| 1991 Nov 11 | 1437.45 35800 x 35825 x 7.4 GEO 75.6W+0.3W | ||
| 1995 Sep 10 | 1437.62 35793 x 35839 x 10.2 GEO 96.8W+0.38W | ||
NOAA 1
1970-106A
The satellites following Tiros M were given ITOS designations, the first being ITOS A. By the time ITOS A was launched, by Delta from Vandenberg at 1130 on 1970 Dec 11, ESSA had become NOAA and so instead of being ESSA 10 the satellite was renamed NOAA 1 on reaching orbit. NOAA 1 operated in a 114.9 min, 1429 x 1479 km x 101.9 deg orbit until 1971 Aug 19 when its attitude control failed.
| NOAA 1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 Dec 11 | 1130:00 | Launch by Delta N6 | |
| SRM 1-3 sep | |||
| T+0:31 SRM 4-6 burn | |||
| 1131 | T+1:00? SRM 4-6 sep | ||
| 1133 | T+3:39 MECO | ||
| 1133 | T+3:45? St 1 sep | ||
| 1133:45? | SES-1 6:19 | ||
| 1140:04? | SECO-1 | ||
| 1231? | SES-2 | ||
| 1231:41 | T+1:01:41 SECO-2 | ||
| 1233? | St 2 sep | 114.9 1429 x 1479 x 101.9 | |
| 1971 Aug 19 | End of ops | ||
Monday, July 27, 1998
Starlette
1975-010A
Starlette was the first laser geodetic satellite, preceding NASA's Lageos by a year. The 0.24m diameter Al-Mg sphere contained a depleted U-238 core to give it a mass of 48 kg. The surface was studded with 60 laser reflectors. Starlette boasted the somewhat contrived acronym of `Satellite de Taille adaptee avec Reflecteurs pour les etudes de la Terre'. It was launched on the test flight of the Diamant B P.4 from Kourou in Feb 1975, featuring a new second stage booster. The third stage was 750 kg full 62 kg empty.
Presumably there was additional attach hardware but its mass is unknown.
A radio transmitter operated for 5 hours, but the main mission of the satellite was entirely passive. Starlette was built in-house by CNES.
| Starlette | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 Feb 6 | 1635 | Launch by Diamant B P.4 | CSG ELD |
| 1636:58? | T+1:58? Emeraude MECO | ||
| 1636:59 | Stage 2 P4 burn 62s | ||
| 1638:01? | P4 MECO | ||
| Coast | |||
| Fairing sep | |||
| 1640? | T+5m Stage 2 sep | ||
| 1641? | Stage 3 burn | ||
| 1642? | Stage 3 burnout | ||
| 1645? | Spin down, weights | ||
| 1647 | Stage 3 sep, Orbit insertion | 104.1 806 x 1108 x 49.8 | |
| 2136 | End of transmissions | ||
Sunday, July 26, 1998
ECS-1
1983-058A
The ECS 1 (European Communications Satellite 1) was built for ESA by the British Aerospace BAe/MESH consortium, based on the OTS/MARECS bus.
In 1983 Oct ownership of ECS 1 was transferred from ESA to the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT) and it was later renamed Eutelsat I F-1.
In Sep 1984, ECS 1 suffered a partial power loss due to short circuits in the solar panels.
In 1993 it was planned to move F1 from 25.5E to 36E to improve Central Asian communications.
| ECS 1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 Jun 16 | 1159:03 | Launch by Ariane 1 (L6) | CSG ELA1 |
| T+2:26 St 1 MECO | |||
| T+2:30 St 1 sep | |||
| T+2:31 St 2 MES | |||
| T+2:38 Stage 2 acceleration rockets jettison | |||
| T+4:14 Fairing | |||
| T+4:47 St 2 MECO | |||
| T+4:52 St 2 sep | -4550 x 290 x 9 | ||
| T+4:56 St 3 burn 9:18 | |||
| T+5:07 Jettison of st 3 accel rockets | |||
| T+5:23 Stage 2 LOS | |||
| 1213:17 | T+14:14 St 3 MECO | 627.09 214 x 35566 x 8.6 | |
| 1214:54 | ECS 1 sep (T+15:41) | ||
| 1214:46? | T+15:43 Sylda 1 sep | ||
| 1216:52 | Amsat sep (T+17:41) | ||
| 1983 Jun 17 | 626.79 208 x 35557 x 8.6 | ||
| 1983 Jun 18 | 0051:50 | ECS 1 Mage 2 burn 20s | |
| 0052:10 | Mage 2 burnout 1.516 km/s | ||
| 0221 | Begin spindown | ||
| 0800 | 3-axis, arrays deployed | ||
| 1009 | Earth acquired | ||
| 1983 Jun 19 | Orbit adjust | ||
| 1983 Jun 19 | 1429.89 35457 x 35873 x 0.1 GEO 27.8W+1.6E | ||
| 1983 Jul 5 | 1427.50 35197 x 36039 x 0.1 GEO 6.2E+2.1E | ||
| 1983 Jul 6 | Braking | ||
| 1983 Jul 7 | 1158 | Move in, on station | GEO 10E |
| 1983 Jul 8 | Control to ECS SCC Redu | 1435.91 35775 x 35790 x 0.0 GEO 10.0E | |
| 1983 Jul 10 | Comms payload on | ||
| 1983 Sep 27 | mv out | 1436.11 35774 x 35798 x 0.0 GEO 10.0E | |
| 1983 Oct 11 | 1436.03 35774 x 35796 x 0.0 GEO 13.0E | ||
| 1983 Oct 12 | Ownership from ESA to EUTELSAT | ||
| 1984 Jan 10 | 1436.09 35772 x 35800 x 0.0 GEO 13.0E | ||
| 1984 Sep 30 | Short circuit | ||
| 1985 Aug 15 | 1436.03 35762 x 35808 x 0.0 GEO 13.0E | ||
| 1986 Oct | GEO 13E | ||
| 1987 May 13 | 1436.04 35766 x 35804 x 0.0 GEO 13.0E | ||
| 1988 Mar 6 | 1436.05 35772 x 35799 x 0.1 GEO 13.1E | ||
| 1989 Feb 26 | 1435.99 35733 x 35835 x 0.0 GEO 13.0E | ||
| 1989 Mar | move to 16E | ||
| 1989 May 1 | 1436.03 35598 x 35972 x 0.0 GEO 15.3E | ||
| 1989 Jun 6 | 1436.05 35707 x 35863 x 0.1 GEO 16.2E | ||
| 1990 Jul 15 | 1436.05 35447 x 36123 x 0.9 GEO 16.8E | ||
| 1991 Jun 22 | 1436.05 35740 x 35831 x 1.7 GEO 16.2E | ||
| 1991 Oct 31 | out | 1435.94 35772 x 35794 x 2.0 GEO 16.6E+0.03E | |
| 1991 Dec 10 | in | 1436.04 35594 x 35976 x 2.1 GEO 17.3E | |
| 1992 Jan 30 | 1436.02 35759 x 35810 x 2.2 GEO 17.5E | ||
| 1992 Feb 21 | mv out | 1436.01 35771 x 35798 x 2.3 GEO 17.6E+0.01E | |
| 1992 Jul 1 | mv in | 1436.03 35735 x 35834 x 2.6 GEO 25.4E | |
| 1992 Sep 29 | 1436.07 35769 x 35802 x 2.8 GEO 25.5E | ||
| 1993 Aug 20 | 1436.00 35783 x 35786 x 3.6 GEO 25.7E | ||
| 1993 Sep 5 | mv out | 1435.92 35773 x 35792 x 3.6 GEO 26.2E+0.04E | |
| 1993 Dec 13 | 1434.73 35747 x 35772 x 3.8 GEO 48.0E | ||
| 1993 Dec? | mv in | GEO 48E | |
| 1994 Mar 8 | 1436.35 35776 x 35806 x 4.0 GEO 48.0E | ||
| 1995 May 12 | 1436.04 35768 x 35802 x 4.9 GEO 48.0E | ||
| 1996 Jan 19 | mv out | 1436.05 35777 x 35794 x 5.4 GEO 48.0E | |
| 1996 Mar 12 | mv in | GEO 36E | |
| 1996 Mar 21 | mv in | 1436.05 35772 x 35799 x 5.5 GEO 36.0E | |
| 1996 Dec 8 | 1436.03 35764 x 35806 x 6.0 GEO 36.1E | ||
| 1996 Dec 11 | Orbit raised | ||
| 1996 Dec 30 | 1456.48 36156 x 36212 x 6.0 | ||
| 1997 Apr 12 | 1456.42 36150 x 36217 x 6.2 | ||
Luna 1960
1960-U01
The next E-2A type probe was given an improved radio system and redesignated called E-3; it replaced a proposed E-2F mission which would have had a Yenisey-3 camera. They were intended as Luna-3-like photographic circumlunar flights. They had a simpler design, using the E-2A pressure container but with a single 750mm focal length camera. The first E-3 probe was launched on 1960 Apr 15. The Blok-E stage cut off too early and E-3 No. 1 carried out a high apogee suborbital flight, velocity 110 m/s (or 130 m/s) too low. This was the first failure of the Blok-E.
| E-3 No. 1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Apr 15 | 1506:45 | Launch by 8K72 L1-9 | KB |
| 1518:51 | Blok-E cutoff 3s early T+726s | ||
| 1960 Apr 16 | 0930? | Pass EL1:4 | |
| 1960 Apr 17 | 1500? | Apogee 200000 km | |
| 1960 Apr 19 | 1500? | Reentry | |
Payload:
- Yenisey-2 photo-TV unit
- Camera with 750 mm focal length
Salyut 2
1973-017A
The first Almaz orbital piloted station (OPS 1, 11F71 No. 101) was launched on 1973 Apr 3. To hide the existence of the military Almaz program, it was given the same Salyut cover name as the civilian DOS stations, becoming Salyut-2 on reaching orbit.
17 debris objects were cataloged shortly after launch and it appears that the third stage of the Proton launch vehicle disintegrated shortly after OPS 1 separated. Failure to vent the stage led to overpressurization of the rocket body and explosion. The debris objects reentered over a 27 day period. OPS 1 raised its orbit on Apr 4 to 240 x 259 km, similar to DOS 1's operational orbit. On Apr 6 three more debris objects were tracked, reentering quickly over the next 4 days.
On Apr 8 the orbit was raised again to 261 x 284 km; then on Apr 14 it appears that the station was depressurized and possibly entered a spin - three new, large debris objects were tracked, possibly the solar panels; two of them (17Z and 17AA) remained in orbit for another month. On Apr 28 it was announced that the mission had been completed. By May 27 the altitude of the station had decayed to only 160 km and the next day it made an uncontrolled reentry.
| Salyut-2 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 Apr 3 | 0900:00 | Launch by Proton-K | KB |
| 0910 | Sep from Proton-K 8S812 | 152 x 288 x 51.6 | |
| 2236 | 8S812 disintegrated (17D-V) | ||
| 202 x 253 x 51.6 | |||
| 1973 Apr 4 | 204 x 245 x 51.6 | ||
| Orbit raise rev 18, 17m/s | 240 x 259 x 51.6 | ||
| 1973 Apr 5 | 1430 | 238 x 260 x 51.6 | |
| 1973 Apr 6? | 3 objects (17W-Y) cataloged, 3-4 d | ||
| 1973 Apr 6 | 232 x 262 x 51.6 | ||
| 1973 Apr 7 | 236 x 259 x 51.6 | ||
| 1973 Apr 8 | 237 x 256 x 51.6 | ||
| Orbit raise rev 82, 13m/s | 261 x 284 x 51.6 | ||
| 1973 Apr 14 | 0930 | Last contact before failure | |
| 1973 Apr 14 | Impact by stage 3 debris? (17F,G,J,K, or Z?) | ||
| Station depressurized, lost control | |||
| 3 debris objects (17Z,AA,AB) | |||
| 1973 Apr 15 | 0015 | Reacquired via the backup telemetry system | |
| 1973 Apr 16 | 0612 | end of tx | |
| 1973 May 27 | 158 x 160 x 51.6 | ||
| 1973 May 28 | 1150? | Reentered 3000 km E of New Guinea | |