RHESSI

 2002-004A

---

The High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, in the SMEX series, studies particle acceleration in solar flares. Launch in 2002 by Pegasus XL after many delays.

HESSI rotates at 15rpm, imaging hard X-rays by reconstructing Fourier components from the time modulation of the flux through a set of 9 grids each 9cm in diameter. Angular resolution will be 2 arcsec at 40 keV and 36 arcsec at 1 MeV, and effective area is 100 sq cm. HESSI will also be used to image the Crab Nebula.

The first extrasolar observations were reported in April 2002. SGR 1900+14 was observed from 25 to 400 keV; an unusually bright 3-hour burst of Cygnus X-1 was detected on 2002 Feb 24. RHESSI will search for the electron/positron flash from novae; it has a much larger field of view than the Integral instruments.

Mass is 304 kg. Size is 1.1m dia 2.2m long. 5.7m span. 0.45m grid support cylinder, 9 x 9cm grids. Cylinder + box + 4 panels. Orbit 600 x 600 x 38.

Final stage is 0.97dia 1.34l and mass 202 kg.

The spacecraft was damaged when a vibration test in Mar 2000 was carried out at 20g instead of 2g

Bus is Spectrum Astro SA200S?, later Orbital Leostar-1. (or 3?)

Launch is from 28.0N 78.5W after takeoff from CCAFS Skid Strip. Drop 120km E of Palm Bay.

HESSI was renamed the (Reuven) Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, or RHESSI, in Mar 2002. Ramaty, who died in 2001, was involved in the early stages of the project.

RHESSI
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2002 Feb 5	1929	T/O from Skid Strip RW30/12
	2058:12	Drop
	2058:17	T+0:05 St 1 burn
		T+1:15 St 1 burnout
		T+1:31 St 2 burn
		T+2:06 Fairing sep
		T+2:43 St 2 burnout
	2105:46	T+7:34 St 3 burn 68s
	2107:00	T+8:42 St 3 burnout
	2108:00	T+9:42 St 3 sep

Payload:

• Rotating modulation collimator transform telescope

• Ge crystal solid state spectrometer, 3 keV - 20 MeV, 1 keV res

Progress M-33

 1996-066A

---

Progress M-33 (11F615A55 No. 233) was launched in Nov 1996. Launch mass was 7190 kg. In the approach to re-dock at the +X port on Mar 3, the crew were planning to use the TORU system but could not get a TV picture from Progress; the re-docking was cancelled. Progress was deorbited over the Pacific on Mar 12.

Progress M-33
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1996 Nov 19	2320:38	Launch by Soyuz-U	KB LC1
	2322:36	Blok BVGD sep T+1:58
	2325:25	Blok A sep T+4:47
	2329:27	Blok-I sep T+8:49
1996 Nov 20	0037		88.5 192 x 252 x 51.6 (AVM)
	0206		88.5 191 x 252 x 51.6 (AVM)
	0229:06	TCM 1
	0347:59	TCM 2, 45s	90.0 255 x 305 x 51.6 (AVM)
1996 Nov 22	0101:30	Docked with Mir +X
1997 Feb 6	1213:56	Undocked Mir +X
1997 Feb 7			377 x 395 x 51.65
1997 Mar 3	0822:20	TCM 2	370 x 406 x 51.6 (AVM)
1997 Mar 4	0510:29s	TCM 3
	0557:12s	TCM 4
	0701:34s	TCM 5
	0740	Failed to dock
1997 Mar 12	0235:00	Deorbited 178s; mass 5592 kg
	0323:37	Reentered over S Pacific 42.343S 140.482W

ICO F1

 2000-F02

---

The first ICO Global Communications satellite was lost when its Zenit-3SL launch vehicle failed on Mar 12. ICO F-1 was a 2750 kg Hughes HS-601M satellite and would have entered a 10300 km x 45 deg circular orbit. The Zenit-3SL vehicle took of from Boeing Sea Launch's Odyssey platform in the Pacific at 154W 0N. The second stage shut down 7 min into flight because of a prelaunch commanding error in the vernier system, A second stage valve remained open and by the time of ignition had lost more than 60 percent of its pressure. The satellite fell in the South Pacific, possibly south of Pitcairn. ICO's satellites carry multiple spot beams for mobile communications.

The satellite fell in the ocean 4300 km from the launch site in the S Pacific, perhaps around 25S 130W.

Planned orbit was 10390 x 10390 x 45. Presumably MECO-1 orbit was planned to be around 200 x 10390 x 40.

ICO 1
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2000 Mar 12	1449:15	Launch by Zenit-3SL	SLO
		T+2:25 St 1 sep, St 2 burn
		T+2:58 Fairing
	1456	T+7:41 St 2 premature MECO
	1458	T+9:04 St 2 sep
	1502	T+13:00? Apogee 200 km

Raduga 1

  1975-123A

---

Raduga 11F638 No. 11L was launched on 1975 Dec 22 from Baikonur as the USSR's first operational geostationary comsat. It carried C-band transponders.

Raduga 1
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1975 Dec 22	1300	Launch by Proton-K	KB
	1309	Stage 3 MECO	146 x 198 x 51.5
	1417?	Blok-DM burn 1	278 x 35676 x 47.3
	1933?	Blok-DM burn 2
	1937?	Blok-DM sep
1975 Dec 24
1975 Dec			GEO 85E?
1978 Mar 31			1436.02 35704 x 35865 x 1.5 GEO 85.6E+0.01E
1978 May 1			1436.12 35706 x 35867 x 1.6 GEO 85.8E+0.01W
1978 Aug 5			1436.37 35764 x 35819 x 1.7 GEO 81.8E+0.08W
1978 Oct 31			1436.46 35769 x 35827 x 1.9 GEO 74.5E+0.1W
1991 Aug 27			1436.07 35760 x 35812 x 11.8 GEO 64.3Edr
1999 Apr 26			1436.42 35782 x 35803 x 15.0 GEO 78.7Ed

Telstar 402

 1995-049A

---

Telstar 402 was launched on 1995 Sep 24 by Ariane from Kourou. The third stage of the Ariane 42L was an H-10+ model, dry mass 2079 kg including the equipment bay. Launch mass of Telstar 402R was 3410 kg; BOL mass was 2097 kg and dry mass is 1578 kg. The spacecraft bus was 2.2 x 2.5 x 4.0 m with a 24.5m span. The satellite was to provide C/Ku band services to the USA, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands from GEO 89W.

Telstar 402
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1995 Sep 24	0006	Launch by Ariane 42L (V78)	CSG ELA2
	0008	PAL sep (T+2:30)
	0009	Stage 1 sep (T+3:10)
	0009	Stage 2 MES (T+3:30)
	0010	Fairing 01 sep (T+4:00)
	0011	Stage 2 sep (T+5:23)
	0011	H-10+ Stage 3 MES (T+5:28)
	0024	Stage 3 cutoff (T+18:27)
	0026	Telstar 402R/stage 3 sep (T+20:24)
	0029	V78 mission complete
1995 Sep 24			631.92 273 x 35756 x 6.9
1995 Sep 25	1300?	LAM-1
1995 Sep 26			720.40 4744 x 35739 x 4.3
1995 Sep 26	1300?	LAM-2
1995 Sep 27			866.65 11751 x 35714 x 2.3
1995 Sep 27	1800?	LAM-3
1995 Sep 27			1414.99 35014 x 35730 x 0.2
1995 Sep 29	2300?	mv in
1995 Oct 1			1435.57 35726 x 35826 x 0.2 GEO 89.1W+0.1E
1995 Oct 3		On station	GEO 89.1W
1997 Jan 20			1436.13 35780 x 35793 x 0.0 GEO 89.0W
1999 Oct 15			1436.11 35778 x 35795 x 0.1 GEO 89.0W

OAO 1

  1966-031A

---

The OAO A1 satellite was launched at 1935 on 1966 Apr 8 by an Atlas Agena D. At 2035 it entered a 100.7 min, 792 x 806 km x 35.0 deg orbit, becoming Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1. OAO I successfully demonstrated the use of star trackers for accurate attitude control, but on Apr 10 its battery failed and the satellite fell silent.

The spacecraft had a hinged optics cover; it's not clear if this was opened prior to failure. One piece of debris with RCS 2.6 sq m separated at the time of failure; possibly there was a minor explosion in the battery, or a structural failure after loss of attitude control.

OAO 1
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1966 Apr 8	1935:00	Launch by Atlas Agena D	CKAFS LC12
	1937:16	T+2:16 BECO
	1939:25	T+4:25 SECO
	1939:30	T+4:30 Fairing sep
	1939:45	T+4:45 VECO
	1939:47	T+4:47 Atlas sep
	1940:38	T+5:38 Agena 6703 MES-1
	1944:33	T+9:33 Agena MECO-1	94.07 159 x 802 x 35.0
	2034:06	T+0:59:06 Agena MES-2 6s
	2034:12	T+0:59:12 Agena MECO-2	100.8 791 x 804 x 35.0
	2034:40	T+0:59:40 Solar arrays
	2035:05	T+1:00:05 Solar booms deploy
	2035:45	T+1:00:45 Agena sep
	2302	Battery temp high
1966 Apr 10	0014	Command tumble to cool battery
1996 Apr 10	0207	Battery 1 depleted
	0552	Battery 2 and 3 depleted, spacecraft failed

Payload:

• WEP Wisconsin Experiment Package with 1100-3000A UV telescopes:

• 20-cm stellar telescopes (4)

Molniya 351

 2001-030A

---

The first Molniya-3K, launched on 2001 Jul 20, was designated Molniya-3. Some initial confusion reported it incorrectly as Molniya-1K. Mass is 1780 kg.

Molniya-3K
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2001 Jul 20	0017	Launch by 8K78M	PL LC43/4
	0026	Blok-I MECO
	0026	Blok-I sep	90.87 214 x 420 x 62.82
	0109?	Blok-ML burn
	0109?	BOZ sep
	0110?	Blok-ML MECO
	0111	Blok-ML sep
2001 Jul 22	1359		735.79 407 x 40831 x 62.9
2001 Jul 26			735.87 419 x 40823 x 62.9
2001 Jul 27		TCM
2001 Jul 31			706.94 428 x 39390 x 62.9
2001 Aug 8			717.79 443 x 39911 x 62.9
2001 Sep 4			717.85 487 x 39870 x 62.9
2002 May 19			717.73 462 x 39889 x 64.1

STS-50 (Columbia)

 1992-034A

---

STS-50 was launched on 1992 Jun 25. It was the first flight with the EDO cryogenics pallet to provide extra electrical power and oxygen, supporting the USML-1 Spacelab mission. The first landing attempt on Jul 8 at Edwards was waved off due to bad weather.

The USML included a crystal growth facility capable of processing samples up to 1850K. The Drop Physics Module studied coalescence of fluid drops and a compound drop with one fluid inside another. A new `glovebox' mini-laboratory was used for fluid physics and crystal growth experiments.

STS-50
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1992 May 29		Rollover	VAB/3
1992 Jun 3		Rollout	LC39A
1992 Jun 25	1612:22	Launch	LC39
	1614:29	SRB sep
	1620:51	MECO	68 x 304 x 28.5
	1621:08	ET sep
	1652:14	OMS 2 2:22 68m/s	90.60 299 x 307 x 28.46
	1654:35	OMS-2 CO
	1738	PLBD open
	2042	SL activate
1992 Jun 26	0200		90.57 299 x 305 x 28.47
	0615	EDO supply activate
1992 Jul 29	0416		90.56 299 x 304 x 28.47
	1250?	RCS orbit adjust
1992 Jun 29	2219		90.47 293 x 301 x 28.47
1992 Jul 5	1345		90.49 293 x 303 x 28.47
1992 Jul 8	0328		90.50 293 x 304 x 28.47
1992 Jul 8	0929	PLBD close
	1055	Waveoff WX
	1210	PLBD open
	1509:22	OMS-3 31s 15m/s, adjust track
	1509:53	OMS-3 CO
1992 Jul 8	1830		89.98 245 x 301 x 28.47
1992 Jul 9	0804	PLBD close
1992 Jul 9	1041:38	OMS DO 3:24 104m/s	89.97 245 x 299 x 28.5
	1045:02	OMS DO CO
	1110:46	Entry
	1142:11	Gear down
	1142:27	Landing	RW 33 KSC
	1142:44	NGTD
	1142:44	Drag chute out
	1143:13	Chute sep
	1143:26	Wheels stop
1992 Jul 10	1545		OPF/1

JERS-1

 1992-007A

---

Japan's first Earth Resources Satellite, ERS-1 or JERS-1, was built by Mitsubishi as a joint project of NASDA and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Its on-orbit name was Fuyo (Japanese for `Rose Mallow'). The 1340 kg (1400 kg?) satellite had a 3.1 x 0.9 x 1.8 m bus, with a 8 x 3.4m solar paddle spanning 11.4m. The SAR antenna was 11.9m x 2.4m. The spacecraft was controlled from Tsukuba.

Fuyo-1
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1992 Feb 11	0150	Launch by H-I 24F	TNSC
		T+0:40 SOB 1-6 out
		T+0:40 SOB 7-9 on
		T+1:20 SOB 7-9 out
		T+1:25 SOB 1-9 sep
		T+4:31 MECO
		T+4:37 VECO
		T+4:39 St 1 sep
	0154	T+4:44 SES-1
	0200	T+10:41 SECO-1
	0240:50?	T+50:50 Stage 2 sep from ERS-1	96.09 567 x 574 x 97.7
	0300?	Stage 2 SES-2 depletion
		SECO-2
1992 Feb 11		SAR deployment problems
1992 Apr 8		SAR successfully deployed
1998 Oct 11		Power failure
1998 Oct 12		end of ops
2001 Dec 3	2225	Reentry 67S 20W

Payload:

• SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar 12x2.5m radar antenna L-band, 18-m res

Canyon 6

  1975-055A

---

CANYON 6 was another launch that caused much confusion. Some initial press reports gave the launch vehicle as a Titan IIIC, and this error was propagated into the 1990s by the RAE Tables, although the TRW Space Log (1975 and subsequent editions) consistently gave the correct identification. The confusion over the launch vehicle caused observers to speculate that the satellite was the first of a new generation, possibly the CIA ARGUS or Advanced Rhyolite satellite (now thought to have been cancelled). It was clearly a signals intelligence payload because of the secrecy surrounding the launch, and until recently the Rhyolite series was the only such contemporary geostationary payload known.

CANYON 6
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1975 Jun 18	0900:00	Launch by Atlas Agena D	CC LC13
		BECO
		Atlas sep
	0905?	Agena MES-1
	0910?	Agena MECO-1	190 x 190 x 28.5?
	0925?	Agena MES-2
		Agena MECO-2	190 x 40000 x 28.5?
	1530?	Agena MES-3
		Agena MECO-3	1422.0 30200 x 40800 x 9.0
	1600?	Agena sep	1416.0 29700 x 40400 x 8.0

The best Shuttle wake-up music ever

 https://web.archive.org/web/20160322231330/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov:80/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-111/wave/fd08.wav

Magnum 1

 1985-010B

---

The first MAGNUM satellite was launched from Space Shuttle Discovery on mission 51-C in 1985. This was the first highly classified payload aboard a Shuttle, and the mission was conducted with unprecedented secrecy for a piloted flight.

From the UN data it appears that the two-stage IUS-11 placed MAGNUM in a geostationary transfer orbit, leaving its own on-board propulsion to circularize the orbit. This contrasts with the TDRS and DSCS profiles in which the IUS second stage is used as the apogee motor, and suggests that MAGNUM is, as its name suggests, significantly heavier than these payloads. Some other sources indicate that SRM-2 did indeed make it to GEO, but the revelation that RHYOLITE used a liquid apogee motor and that MAGNUM was an enhanced follow-on suggest the possibility that MAGNUM had a similar motor.

Apparently the solid motor SRM-1 performance on IUS-11 was at about 15 m/s lower than planned. IUS first stage RCS thrusters were used to make up the shortfall.

Other sources suggest that the launch was a more conventional one with SRM-1 to GTO and SRM-2 to GEO, with no MAGNUM apogee motor; the data provided by the US to the UN would then be deliberately deceptive.

 

 

USA 8
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1985 Jan 24	1950:00	Launch from LC39A
	1952:07	SRB sep
	1958:32	MECO
	1958:49	ET sep
	2035?	OMS-2	300 x 300 x 28.5
1985 Jan 25	0645	probable USA-8 deploy
	0656?	OMS-3 sep?	91.64 334 x 375 x 28.5
	0740	IUS burn, eq crossing N
		SRM-1 burn, T0 (deploy+55)
	0742	SRM-1 cutoff T0+2:26
	0743	IUS Stage 1 RCS, T0+3:10
		1826m/s burn to UN orbit 1
		Scenario 1 SRM-1 orbit	284.3 335 x 15553 x 28.4 (UN)
	0745?	Stage 1 sep
	0746?	SRM-2 burn in Scenario 1
	0830?	SRM-2 sep
		SRM-2 orbit	612.3 341 x 34670 x 28.4 (UN)
	1236?	LAE burn
		2410m/s burn to Scenario 2 orbit 1
		Scenario 2 SRM-1 orbit 340 x 35600 x 28.4 (guess)
	1235?	SRM-1 sep
	1240?	SRM-2 burn, T0+5 hr?, 1:43 burn
	1320?	SRM-2 sep
			1428.40 35513? x 35758? x 0?

GE-8

 2000-081B

---

GE Americom's Aurora III (GE 8) was launched for US/Alaska/Hawaii coverage. Launch by Ariane, 2001. LMMS/Sunnyvale A2100A. GEO 139W, distribute radio network and data.

Launch mass 2015 kg; dry mass 919 kg. Size 4.1 x 3.6m 14.5m span.

GE 8
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2000 Dec 20	0026	Launch by Ariane 5	CSG ELA3
		T+2:40 EAP sep
		T+3:24 Fairing sep
	0036	T+10:06 EPC cutoff
	0036	T+10:12 EPC sep
	0036	T+10:27 EPS MES
	0052	T+26:55 EPS MECO
	0054	T+28:44 Astra 2D sep
	0057	T+31:20 Sylda 5 sep
	0100	T+34:40 GE-8 sep
	0106	T+40:15 LDREX deploy
	0130	T+1:04:37 LDREX sep
2000 Dec 20			630.58 185 x 35775 x 2.0
2000 Dec 24			630.78 215 x 35755 x 2.0
2000 Dec 23	0700?	LAM-1
2000 Dec 26			1020.95 18657 x 35759 x 0.4
2000 Dec 26	2030?	LAM-2?
2000 Dec 30			1436.27 35784 x 35795 x 0.1 GEO 146.0W+0.05W
2001 Jan 19			1436.10 35778 x 35795 x 0.1 GEO 146.0W

Ikonos

 1999-051A

---

Mass 726 kg. Built by LM/Sunnyvale using LM900 bus. Ikonos had 1-m resolution at 13 km swath. Launched to 10:30am descending node SSO. Ikonos was the first of the high res commercial imaging satellites to reach orbit and operate.

A piece of debris separated on 2001 Mar 19 and reentered rapidly.

OAM mass 650f?; Orbus 21 10600 f 865 em so m1/m2 = 11976 / 2241

Ikonos
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1999 Sep 24	1821:08	Launch by Athena 2 LM-7	V SLC6
		T+1:24 St 1 burnout
		T+1:25 St 2 burn 18 km	-6300 x 20 ?
		T+2:53 St 2 burn out	-5600 x 180 ?
		T+4:27 Fairing	-5600 x 180 ?
		T+4:32 St 2 sep
	1825:40	T+4:32 St 3 burn at 179 km
	1828:11	T+7:03 St 3 burnout
	1828:12	T+7:04 St 3 sep 90.92 207 x 431 x 98.2 (B)
	1828:17	T+7:09 St 4 burn 162s
	1830:59	T+9:51 St 4 MECO	93.69 220 x 689 x 98.2 (est)
	1912:35	T+51:27 St 4 burn 2 386s
	1919:01	T+57:53 St 4 MECO-2
	1919:15	T+58:07 St 4 sep	98.36 678 x 682 x 98.1
	1924	T+1:03:08 St 4 avoidance
	1928	T+1:07:26 St 4 MECO-3	92.24 137 x 630 x 97.7 (C)
			98.36 678 x 682 x 98.1

Seventeen: February 2002

 https://welib.org/md5/51d594b0308052f3a53551e0670afb81

Aviation Week: February 11,2002

 https://welib.org/md5/d9c5af865ab96342cec2ef3e0c6e9e11

Kosmos 786

  1975-120A

---

Kosmos 786 carried a TG beacon and a supplementary experiment to analyze solar radiation flux in Earth orbit: unlike with most Zenit supplementary experiments this mission did not carry a separate Nauka capsule.

Kosmos-786
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1975 Dec 16	0950	Launch by Soyuz-U	Baikonur
	0954	Blok-I burn
	0958	Blok-I sep
1975 Dec 16			89.50 171 x 328 x 65.0
1975 Dec 23			89.39 172 x 316 x 65.0
1975 Dec 24			89.23 171 x 301 x 65.0
1975 Dec 27		Engine sep
1975 Dec 29			89.11 169 x 291 x 65.0
1975 Dec 29
	0553?	Deorbit
	0603?	PO sep
	0607?	Entry
	0624?	Landed

Spaceflight: January 2002

 https://welib.org/md5/cae7197ec560cd63fccbd202be68930a

Who’s Who in Space

https://welib.org/md5/ed6742d8b64e05d80dc6f4a9de25c427

Navstar 44

 2000-040A

---

GPS 2R-5 was launched to Plane B, Slot 5; it was eventually placed in slot B3.

GPS 44
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2000 Jul 16	0917:00	Launch by Delta 7925	CC LC17A
	0918	SRM 1-6 sep
	0918	SRM 7-9 burn
	0919	SRM 7-9 sep
		T+4:27 MECO
	0921	T+4:36 Thor sep
	0921	T+4:47 SES-1
	0922	T+4:57 Fairing sep
	0928	T+10:59 SECO-1	151 x 337 x 36.9
	0937	T+20:00 SES-2
		T+20:37 SECO-2
	0938	T+21:30 St 2 sep	200? x 1250? x 37.0
	0938	T+21:30 TES
	0940	T+23:32 TECO
	0942	T+25:27 St 3 sep
2000 Jul 16			357.84 165 x 20461 x 39.1
2000 Jul 19	1223	AKM
2000 Jul 31			732.00 20184 x 20427 x 55.1
2000 Aug 2			732.00 20185 x 20426 x 55.1
2000 Sep 2			717.94 20037 x 20325 x 55.1