Ekspress 1

 1994-067A

---

The first Ekspress satellite was launched in 1994. Ekspress No. 11L was designated Ekspress-2 on orbit at 14W. The satellite failed in Jun 2001, interrupting Intersputnik services briefly until traffic was transferred to Ekspress-3A.

Ekspress No. 11
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1994 Oct 13	1619:00	Launch by Proton	KB
	1628	Stage 3 sep
	1628	Adapter sep	185? x 200? x 51.6
	1732?	DM burn 1
		DM MECO-1	200? x 36000? x 48.0?
	2250?	DM burn 2
	2300?	DM sep
1994 Oct 13			1440.78 35862 x 35893 x 0.2 GEO 91.1E+1.1W
1994 Oct 24			1441.47 35863 x 35920 x 0.2 GEO 76.2E+1.3W
1994 Nov 8			1435.87 35778 x 35785 x 0.2 GEO 70.7E+0.05E
1994 Dec 28			1436.12 35781 x 35792 x 0.1 GEO 71.3E
1995 Jan 4			1436.11 35779 x 35793 x 0.1 GEO 71.3E
1995 Jan 5		mv out
1995 Feb 14		mv in	1436.04 35776 x 35794 x 0.1 GEO 14.0W
1995 Jun 14			1436.14 35773 x 35801 x 0.1 GEO 13.9W

Kosmos 2290

 1994-053A

---

Kosmos-2290 was deorbited in Apr 1995 over the Pacific, reentering approx 2720 km E of Wellington, NZ. According to Phillip Clark, mass of Kosmos-2290 was around 10600 kg.

The Yuzhnoe book implies the name Orlets.

At launch, the usual four high-orbit Zenit rocket separation motor covers were cataloged. In addtion, two small debris objects were found in the payload orbit, which may be sensor covers of some kind. The satellite was deorbited on 1995 Apr 4; two days earlier four objects were ejected.

Debris was found in Mexico, including parts from a 17D62 engine.

Kosmos-2290
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1994 Aug 26	1200:00	Launch by Zenit-2	KB
	1202:28	Stage 1 sep
	1204:58	Fairing sep
	1207:18	Stage 2 MECO
	1210:28	Stage 2 VECO
	1210:29	Stage 2 sep
1994 Aug 26			89.55 211 x 292 x 64.8
1994 Aug 30			89.50 210 x 288 x 64.8
1994 Sep 6			89.38 208 x 279 x 64.8
1994 Sep 6		Orbit raise	90.08 208 x 347 x 64.8
1994 Sep 30			89.66 201 x 314 x 64.8
1994 Oct 1		Orbit raise	89.84 209 x 323 x 64.8
1994 Oct 14			89.53 204 x 298 x 64.8
1994 Oct 14		Orbit raise	89.89 206 x 330 x 64.8
1994 Oct 20			89.79 203 x 323 x 64.8
1994 Oct 20		Orbit raise	90.13 205 x 356 x 64.8
1994 Oct 29			89.96 201 x 342 x 64.8
1994 Oct 29		Orbit raise	90.32 213 x 366 x 64.8
1994 Nov 5			90.21 212 x 357 x 64.8
1994 Nov 10			90.12 210 x 350 x 64.8
1994 Nov 11		Orbit raise	90.28 209 x 366 x 64.8
1994 Nov 15			90.22 209 x 361 x 64.8
1994 Dec 14			89.74 200 x 322 x 64.8
		Orbit raise
1994 Dec 14			90.37 202 x 382 x 64.8
1994 Dec 28			90.13 200 x 361 x 64.8
		Orbit raise
1994 Dec 28			90.63 200 x 410 x 64.8
1995 Jan 26			90.16 193 x 371 x 64.8
1995 Jan 26		Orbit adjust
1995 Jan 27			89.88 192 x 344 x 64.8
1995 Jan 30			89.79 190 x 337 x 64.8
1995 Jan 31		Orbit raise	90.34 191 x 391 x 64.8
1995 Feb 7			89.96 177 x 367 x 64.8
1995 Feb 8		Orbit raise	90.35 181 x 401 x 64.8
1995 Feb 12			89.19 179 x 387 x 64.8
1995 Feb 13		Orbit raise	90.33 181 x 399 x 64.8
1995 Feb 22			89.97 178 x 367 x 64.8
1995 Feb 23		Orbit raise	90.72 180 x 439 x 64.8
1995 Mar 5			90.31 177 x 401 x 64.8
		Orbit raise	90.96 184 x 458 x 64.8
1995 Mar 15			90.65 183 x 429 x 64.8
1995 Mar 16		Orbit lower	90.39 182 x 404 x 64.8
1995 Mar 27			90.00 179 x 370 x 64.8
1995 Mar 28		Orbit raise	82.14 181 x 576 x 64.80
1995 Apr 2		53J,K,L,M ejected
1995 Apr 3			91.93 180 x 557 x 64.80
1995 Apr 4	2355	Deorbited over Pacific
1995 Apr 5	0155?	Entry over Mexico?

USA-82

 1992-037A

---

The second Atlas II launch for DSCS III carried the B-12 satellite, named USA 82 on orbit. The IABS placed B-12 in the correct orbit, but the IABS IRU/gyro system had an electronics failure that precluded its use on-orbit, and the satellite operated using the standard DSCS system.

DSCS III B-12
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1992 Jul 2	2154	Launch by Atlas II	CC LC36A
	2156	Booster sep (T+2:49)
	2159	Centaur MES1 (T+5:00)
	2205	Centaur MECO1 (T+11:20)
	2218	Centaur MES2 (T+24:00, burn 1:50)
	2220	Centaur MECO2
	2223	Centaur sep (T+29:10)	617.3 223 x 35053 x 26.5 (UN)
1992 Jul 4?		IABS burn
			1416.6 35289 x 35520 x 0.3, IABS (UN)
			1436.2 35775 x 35800 x 0.2 (UN)
1995 Jul		ELANT Prime	GEO 12.0W
1997 Oct		ELANT Prime	GEO 12.0W
2002 Jun		Orbit raised
2002 Jul 30		Decommissioned

Aviation Week: August 25,2003

 https://welib.org/md5/b2ce716ec50981ee3c66d89432b6e0c9

Westar 6 (Asiasat 1)

 1984-011B / 1990-030A

---

The Westar 6 satellite was carried into orbit on the Space Shuttle Challenger in Feb 1984. Deployment from the cargo bay was normal, but when the PAM-D upper stage ignited the nozzle failed and the satellite was left in a low elliptical orbit. It was recovered by the 51-A mission. The underwriters, Merritt Syndicates, sold the satellite to Asiasat. Asiasat (the Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. of Hong Kong) is a consortium of Cable & Wireless, Hutchinson Wampoa and the China International Trust and Investment Corp. (CITIC). Asiasat got Hughes to refurbish the satellite; it was then relaunched from China aboard a CZ-3 rocket, this time reaching GEO successfully. It was used for regional SE Asian communications.

Westar 6 (Asiasat 1)
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1984 Feb 3	2059:23	Westar 6 deploy from OV-099
1984 Feb 3	2145	PAM-D burn
1984 Feb 3		PAM-D loss of control
1984 Feb 3	2146?	PAM-D sep	100.0 300 x 1214 x 27.7
1984 Feb 6			100.02 303 x 1215 x 27.7
1984 Feb 8			100.02 303 x 1215 x 27.7
1984 Feb 9			99.94 295 x 1215 x 27.7
1984 Feb 27			99.89 296 x 1210 x 27.7
1984 May 5			99.74 305 x 1186 x 27.7
1984 May 12			99.75 305 x 1187 x 27.7
1984 May 12		mv up	107.64 357 x 1192 x 27.9
1984 May 12	1648	AKM fired	107.64 1070 x 1164 x 28.5
1984 Jul 19			107.64 1070 x 1165 x 28.5
1984		Ownership to Merritt Syndicates
1984 Aug 6		mv	106.11 1042 x 1050 x 28.5
1984 Oct 9			106.11 1042 x 1050 x 28.5
1984 Oct 11		lower orbit	103.81 820 x 1056 x 28.5
1984 Oct 12			100.34 490 x 1058 x 28.5
1984 Oct 13		lower orbit	99.06 370 x 1056 x 28.5
1984 Oct 14			99.05 364 x 1061 x 28.5
1984 Oct 16			98.76 352 x 1046 x 28.5
1984 Oct 18			97.75 354 x 947 x 28.5
1984 Oct 19			96.96 355 x 867 x 28.5
1984 Oct 23			95.27 357 x 706 x 28.5
1984 Oct 27			92.73 352 x 463 x 28.5
1984 Oct 28			91.72 342 x 375 x 28.5
1984 Nov 2			91.91 361 x 375 x 28.5
1984 Nov 14			91.77 353 x 369 x 28.5
1984 Nov 14		OV-103 rendezvous with Westar 6
	1232	MMU/Gardner dock Westar
		RMS grapple Westar
		MMU undock ACD
	1327?	MMU berthed
	1442	Base adapter on
		Westar berthed
1984 Nov 16		OV-103 landed
1987 Jun 25		Sold to Asiasat
1990 Apr 7	1330:02	Launch by CZ-3	XSC
	1332:09	Stage 1 sep, 50km
	1334:25	Stage 2 sep
	1334:25	Stage 3 MES1
	1341:30	T+11:28 Stage 3 MECO
	1345:32	Stage 3 MES2
	1351:29	Stage 3 sep at perigee
1990 Apr 9	0343?	Star 30C burn
1990 Apr 9			1438.01 34902 x 36745 x 0.3 GEO 130.3E+0.4W
1990 Apr 14			1456.17 35797 x 36559 x 0.3 GEO 109.1E+4.9W
1990 Apr 15		On station	GEO 105.5E
1990 Apr 19			1436.10 35782 x 35790 x 0.2 GEO 105.6E
1992 Mar 29			1436.16 35776 x 35799 x 0.1 GEO 105.5E
1994 Feb 10			1436.11 35785 x 35788 x 0.0 GEO 105.5E
1996 Mar 5			1436.06 35777 x 35794 x 0.0 GEO 105.6E
1999 Jun 14			1436.15 35785 x 35789 x 0.2 GEO 105.6E
1999 Jun 17		mv out
1999 Aug 14		Move in to 122E
2000 Jun 10			1436.10 35783 x 35790 x 1.0 GEO 122.1E
2003 Jan 23			1436.28 35784 x 35796 x 3.2 GEO 121.4E

USA-174

 2003-057A

---

The contract for an extra UHF satellite was given in 1999. HS-601 launch by Atlas 3B/SEC AC-203. Launch mass 3041 kg.

UHF F11
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2003 Dec 18	0230	Launch by Atlas 3 AC-203	CC SLC36B
	0224:00	Launch per Cleary report
		T+3:00 BECO
		T+3:07 Atlas sep
		T+3:18 MES1
	0233	T+3:26 Fairing sep
		T+4:40	172 km 3.933 km/s
	0244	T+14:54 MECO-1	185 x 1092 x 28.1
	0254	T+24:37 MES-2
	0257	T+27:42 MECO-2
	0302	T+32:25 Centaur sep	288 x 35905 x 27.0
2003 Dec 19?		LAM burn

Gruzomaket

 2003-055A

---

978 kg dummy Kondor-E satellite on Strela test launch. Refurbished UR-100NU. NPO-M (Mashinostroenie). The satellite is a box

KGCh-2 payload section; rocket is 29.2l 2.5d 100t (Strela can also have KGCh-1 normal warhead fairing). Third stage is APB-OIA: agregatno-priborniy blok, equipment-service stage, with extra 2.4m dia 0.8m long otsek ismeritel'noy apparaturi, instrumentation module. The Strela rocket has the designation 14A036 and the APB is 14S425.

Mark Wade's site suggested an APB mass of 1100 kg full 725 kg empty with an Isp of 200s. With a 1000 kg payload this gives a delta-V of 1961 ln ( 2100 / 1725 ) = 386 m/s implying a preburn orbit of around -770 x 460 km. A plausible range given uncertainties in mass and Isp is 350-450 m/s, giving (-950 to -650) x 460 km.

The Strela user manual gives details of an ascent to a 1000 km orbit; the stage 2 sep, pre-APB orbit is then -600 x 1000 km. The fairing jettison at 114 km is to a -5485 x 190 km orbit; the stage 1 seps to -5740 x 165 km at 70 km.

The RKN 14A036 Strela used the 15S300 booster, the 14S425 APB, and the payload was KGCh 14S135, consisting of the 14S620 OIA, the 14S134 fairing, and the mass model GVM30201-14S135.

Gruzomaket
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2003 Dec 5	0600:00	Launch by Strela	KB PL175/2
	0602	T+2:07 Stage 1 MECO
	0602	T+2:07 Stage 2 burn 3:03
	0602	T+2:08 St 1 sep
		T+2:59 Fairing sep at 114 km
	0604	T+4:48 Stage 2 MECO
	0605	T+5:06 Stage 2 VECO
	0605	T+5:07 Stage 2 sep at 200 km
	0605	T+5:07 OIA burn for attitude control
	0616	T+16:27 OIA cutoff
	0616	T+16:27 APB burn
	0619	T+19:20 APB MECO
	0619	T+19:52 APB sep	93.74 452 x 461 x 67.08
	0620	T+20:17 APB depletion	93.04 389 x 457 x 67.08

Aviation Week: December 8,2003

 https://welib.org/md5/12f7469f9dd8c9073f31783330e9c715

STS-83 (Columbia)

 1997-013A

---

STS-83 was the MSL-1 (Microgravity Science Lab) Spacelab/EDO mission. An afternoon launch on April 4 followed a one-day technical delay; the count was held at the T-19 hour mark to add thermal insulation to a water coolant line. Columbia carried the Spacelab Long Module as well as the OARE acceleration monitor and a Hitchhiker-G experiment (CRYOFD) in the cargo bay. The middeck included a set of protein crystallography experiments.

Commander Jim Halsell was on his third flight, but his first as commander. Susan Still became the second woman to sit in the pilot's seat, while Janice Voss was payload commander with mission specialists Michael Gernhardt and Don Thomas. Thomas was lucky to be aboard - he broke an ankle during training, and Cady Coleman was named as a last-minute backup. A couple of weeks before launch, however, Thomas was cleared for flight and Coleman stood down. Two payload specialists completed the crew, both materials scientists. Roger Crouch was a long-time NASA scientist currently stationed at NASA Headquarters. He had been alternate PS for an earlier Spacelab mission. Gregory Linteris worked at the National Institute for Standards and Technology.

Problems with Fuel Cell 2 became apparent on Apr 5, and on Apr 6 after hours of discussion Mission Control declared a Minimum Duration Flight (MDF), with a return to Earth on Apr 8 instead of the originally planned Apr 19.

Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1997 Mar 5		Tow to VAB
1997 Mar 11	1130	Rollout to LC39A
1997 Apr 4	1920:32	Launch	KSC LC39A
	1922:35	SRB sep
	1929:04	MECO
	1929:23	ET sep	88.22 69 x 303 x 28.46
	2000:27	OMS 2 2:23 68m/s	90.56 300 x 303 x 28.46
	2002:50	OMS 2 CO
	2109	PLBD open complete
	2120?	Fuel cell problem
1997 Apr 5			90.55 299 x 303 x 28.47
1997 Apr 6	1930	Fuel Cell 2 shut down
		MDF declared
1997 Apr 7			90.53 298 x 303 x 28.47
1997 Apr 8	1455	PLBD closed	90.52 297 x 301 x 28.47
	1731:18	OMS DO 3:22 99.0m/s	-34 x 301 x 28.5
	1734:40	OMS DO CO
	1801	Entry interface
	1833:11	MGTD KSC RW33, 3:23:12:39
	1833:23	NGTD
	1834:10	Wheels stop

Gossip Girl #2: You Know You Love Me

 https://welib.org/md5/c90341d4198a0b07a59f6007b326dc45

Apollo 8

  1968-118A

---

---

Apollo 8 Crew

---

• Commander: Frank Borman, Col. USAF

• Senior Pilot: James Lovell Jr., Capt. USN

• Pilot: William Anders, Maj. USAF

Apollo CSM 103 was launched on the AS-503 mission (Apollo 8) at 1251 on 1968 Dec 21. Apollo 8 was a historic mission - for the first time human beings would leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence and head for the Moon. Apollo 8 entered a 179 x 190 km x 32.6 deg Earth parking orbit at 1302, and at 1541 the S-IVB stage reignited for translunar injection - TLI. The Apollo separated from the Saturn, turned around for practice at stationkeeping, and then moved away to begin its cruise to the Moon.

At 2029 on 1968 Dec 23, Borman, Lovell and Anders passed through the point at which the Moon's gravity became greater than the Earth's. At 1003 on Dec 24 they fired up the SPS engine to enter an elliptical orbit around the Moon. The orbit apogee was lowered to circularize the path at 1426.

The Apollo 8 spaceship spent a day in lunar orbit, taking the famous `Earthrise' photo of the Earth rising above the lunar horizon.

CSM 103 began its flight back to the Earth at 0610 on 1968 Dec 25, the SPS engine boosting it out of lunar orbit. At 1519 on Dec 27 the Service Module was jettisoned to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. The CM began reentry at 1537, at 122 km altitude, making the first piloted `skip reentry'. CM-103 descended to 55 km and then rose again to 64 km before descending toward the Pacific. It would fly a range of 2500 km from entry to splashdown. The Command Module touched down in the Pacific at 1551 on 1968 Dec 27.

Apollo CSM 103 Mission Log
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1968 Dec 21	1251:00	Launch of SA-503
1968 Dec 21	1253:06	S-IC center engine cutoff
1968 Dec 21	1253:33	S-IC outboard engines cutoff
1968 Dec 21	1253:34	S-IC-503 separation, altitude 80.5 km
1968 Dec 21	1254:08	LES separation
1968 Dec 21	1259:44	S-II-3 separation	-2286 x 192 x 32.66
1968 Dec 21	1259:45	S-IVB burn ignition
1968 Dec 21	1302:25	S-IVB main engine cutoff
1968 Dec 21	1302:35	Earth orbit insertion,	179 x 190 km x 32.6 deg
	1333:05	Optics cover jettison
1968 Dec 21	1541:38	S-IVB TLI burn
1968 Dec 21	1546:55	S-IVB main engine cutoff
1968 Dec 21	1547:05	Translunar injection	214 x 544356 x 30.71
		C3 = -1.479	218 x 545303 x 31.07
1968 Dec 21	1611:59	S-IVB-503 separation	141 x 538222 x 30.71
1968 Dec 21	1613	Stationkeeping exercise
1968 Dec 21	1631:01	Sep (RCS)
1968 Dec 21	1736:01	Sep-2 (RCS) 2.3m/s
1968 Dec 21	2351	MCC-1 (SPS mid course correction)	308 x 535599 x 30.6
1968 Dec 23	2029	Equigravisphere
1968 Dec 24	0150:55	MCC-4 (RCS mid course correction)
1968 Dec 24	0959:02	Begin LOI-1	122 x -11021 x 145.49
	1003:27	LOI-1 (SPS lunar orbit insertion, 4:06)	110 x 293 x 151.2
1968 Dec 24	1007:34	Lunar orbit insertion,	112 x 313 km x 168 deg
1968 Dec 24	1426:07	LOI-2 (SPS burn, 10s)	109 x 305 x 156.8 (MR)
	1426:17	LOI-2 CO	112 x 113 km x 168 deg
1968 Dec 25	0610:16	TEI (SPS 3min23s burn)	105 x 115 x 150
1968 Dec 25	0613:39	Transearth Injection	110 x -8518 x 153.7
		Return to Earth gravity sphere
1968 Dec 25	2050:54	MCC-5 (midcourse correction)	-585 x 982887 x 37.7
1968 Dec 27	1519:48	SM-108 separation
1968 Dec 27	1537:12	Entry interface 11.040km/s at -6.50deg	38 x 1038993 x 37.2
1968 Dec 27	1551:42	Splashdown, 08 08 N, 165 W, Pacific Ocean
1968 Dec 27	1645	Recovery by USS Yorktown

Transit 4A

  1961-015A

---

The Transit IVA satellite tested out the SNAP 3A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), a nuclear power supply. The spacecraft bus was a new cylindrical design and used magnetic rather than yo-yo despin. The SR and Injun satellites separated from Transit.

The Ablestar rocket exploded when residual propellants ignited.

Gatland (1961) reports a launch time of 1623 UTC (1223 EDT), 12 hours off from the value I have.

Transit IVA
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1961 Jun 29	0423	Launch by Thor Ablestar	CC LC17
	0425	Thor sep
	0426?	Ablestar burn 1
		Ablestar MECO	150? x 1000? x 66
		Ablestar burn 2
	0451	Ablestar MECO-2
		Ablestar sep
		SR/Injun sep
			881 x 998 x 66.81
	0608:10	Ablestar exploded
1961 Jul 15		Solar cell experiment end of ops
1970 May		Beacon still transmitting
1974?		End of transmissions?

Payload:

• Beacons C 54/324 MHz Z 150/400 MHz

• SNAP 3A RTG

• Solar cell test panel

Town and Country: June 2003

 https://welib.org/md5/5b5f83ec5df9a6db760b4a0810b790c6