The New Yorker: March 20,2000

 https://welib.org/md5/584da733182497511ed465f3e9534ef0

Molniya 347

 1995-042A

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A Molniya-3 satellite (F49, N47) was launched on 1995 Aug 9.

Molniya-3 No. 59
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1995 Aug 9	0221:00	Launch by 8K78M	PL LC43
	0225	Blok-I burn
	0230	Blok-I sep
	0314?	Blok-L burn
	0313	Perigee
	0317?	Blok-L sep
1995 Aug 9			737.03 417 x 40882 x 62.8
1995 Aug 10			736.84 418 x 40872 x 62.8
1995 Aug 13			736.80 420 x 40870 x 62.8
	1840?	Orbit trim
1995 Aug 16			718.62 426 x 39969 x 62.8
1995 Aug 25			717.95 434 x 39928 x 62.8
1995 Sep 19			717.55 460 x 39883 x 62.8
2000 Apr 12			717.60 1268 x 39077 x 62.8

ESSA 8

  1968-114A

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ESSA 8 was another APT satellite, launched by Delta N from Space Launch Complex 2-East at Vandenberg at 1721 on 1968 Dec 15. In 1971 it was reactivated to replace ITOS 1 and NOAA 1 and it was retired on 1976 Mar 6. 

ESSA 8
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1968 Dec 15	1721:04	Launch by Delta N	V SLC2E
		SRM sep
	1724:47	T+3:43 MECO
		St 1 sep
	1725	SES-1 5:58.4
	1731	SECO-1, coast 51:04
	1822?	SES-2, 0:11.8
	1822?	SECO-2
	1824?	St 2 sep
	1825?	Despin?
	1826	Equator crossing
1968 Dec 15			114.83 1433 x 1462 x 101.90
1971 Jul 29		Reactivated
1976 Mar 6		Decommissioned

Hexagon 3

  1972-052A

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The third HEXAGON mission lasted more than twice as long as the second. A total of 15 orbit raising burns were made, maintaining an orbit with a 170 km perigee and an apogee from 225 to 260 km.

HEXAGON 3
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1972 Jul 7	1746	Launch by Titan IIID	V SLC4E
		T+1:49? Stage 1 burn 2:27
		T+1:55 SRM burnout
		T+1:55 SRM sep
		T+4:16 Stage 1 MECO
		T+4:16 Stage 1 sep
		T+4:16 Stage 2 burn
		T+5:05? Fairing
	1753	T+7:44? Stage 2 MECO
	1754	T+8:00 Stage 2 sep
	1917?	Subsat ejected	166 x 500? x 96.1
	2309		88.72 172 x 249 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Jul 10	1741		88.74 175 x 249 x 96.9
1972 Jul 13	1938		88.60 172 x 238 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Jul 15	0240		88.70 174 x 245 x 96.9
1972 Jul 15	2100?	SRV-1 recovered rev 132
1972 Jul 17	1943		88.56 170 x 236 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Jul 18	1753		88.73 176 x 247 x 96.9
1972 Jul 21	2118		88.59 171 x 237 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Jul 22	1630		88.74 172 x 251 x 96.9
1972 Jul 25	1103		88.58 169 x 238 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Jul 26	1033		88.78 172 x 256 x 96.9
1972 Jul 29		SRV-2 recovered rev 359
1972 Jul 31	1155		88.52 166 x 235 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1750		88.76 178 x 247 x 96.9
1972 Aug 5	0712		88.45 171 x 223 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1733		88.81 178 x 252 x 96.9
1972 Aug 10	1124		88.50 169 x 230 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1848		88.74 180 x 244 x 96.9
1972 Aug 12	2010?	SRV-3 recovered rev 586
1972 Aug 15	0514		88.50 174 x 226 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Aug 17	0434		88.69 170 x 248 x 96.9
1972 Aug 20	0458		88.47 168 x 229 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
1972 Aug 21	0309		88.76 173 x 253 x 96.9
1972 Aug 25	0444		88.59 168 x 232 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1632		88.80 184 x 246 x 96.9
1972 Aug 30	0130		88.48 173 x 224 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1745		88.87 176 x 260 x 96.9
1972 Sep 2	2018?	SRV-4 recovered rev 924
1972 Sep 4	1138		88.38 161 x 227 x 96.9
		Orbit raise
	1732		88.77 181 x 245 x 96.9
1972 Sep 7	1203		88.48 171 x 226 x 96.8
		Orbit raise
1972 Sep 8	1902		88.83 181 x 252 x 96.8
1972 Sep 11	1208		88.60 170 x 239 x 96.8
		Orbit raise
1972 Sep 12	1909		88.85 185 x 249 x 96.8
1972 Sep 13	1424		88.72 188 x 233 x 96.8
	2056?	Deboost, rev 1104
	2120?	Reentry, rev 1105

Comstar 1

  1976-042A

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The Comstar 1 satellite was an Intelsat 4A class C-band communications satellite intended for use by AT&T; for US domestic communications. It was originally owned by Comsat General Corp. and leased to AT&T.; AT&T; took ownership in 1985 of the Comstars, but by that time Comstar 1 was retired. Comsat General control was in Washington DC, with ground stations at Southbury, Connecticut and Santa Paula, California.

Comstar 1
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1976 May 13	2228	Launch by Atlas Centaur
		T+2:20 BECO
	2230	T+2:23 Booster sep
		T+3:05 Insulation panel jettison
		T+4:06 SECO
	2232	T+4:09 Atlas sep
	2232	T+4:18 MES-1
	2233	T+4:30 Fairing
	2238	T+10:21 MECO-1 189 km
	2252	T+24:52 MES-2 1:26 5558 km
	2254	T+26:18 MECO-2
	2256	T+28:33 Centaur sep
		Centaur blowdown	649.32 611 x 36310 x 21.81
1976 May 14	0600?	Apo 1
	1600?	Apo 2
1976 May 15	0300?	Apo 3
	1400?	Apo 4
	2240?	Apo 5
1976 May 15	2242	SVM-4A Apogee motor fired
1976 May 16		GEO drifting	168.4E+3.2/d
1976 Jun 4		GEO on sta	128W
1977 Jan 25			1436.16 35776 x 35798 x 0.1 GEO 128.0W
1981 May 2			1436.09 35782 x 35790 x 0.0 GEO 127.9W
1981 May 7		Moved out of GEO	127W
1981 Jun 11		On station	95W+0.05/d
1981 Jul 3			1436.14 35782 x 35792 x 0.0 GEO 95.1W
1983 Oct 17			1436.10 35781 x 35791 x 0.0 GEO 96.0W
1983 Oct 26		mv out	1435.60 35729 x 35785 x 0.0 GEO 83.3W+0.3E
1983 Nov 29		mv in	1436.18 35782 x 35794 x 0.1 GEO 76.0W+0.0
1984 May 13			1436.10 35779 x 35793 x 0.2 GEO 76.0W
1984 Oct 24			1436.18 35787 x 35789 x 0.6 GEO 76.4W
1984 Oct 26		mv out	1442.0 35793 x 35814 x 0.6
1984 Nov 2			1442.63 35907 x 35922 x 0.6
1985 Sep 7		AT&T took ownership
1989 Nov 27			1442.45 35904 x 35916 x 5.4
1999 Apr 19			1442.50 35896 x 35927 x 11.7