Planet4589
January 17th 08, 10:14 PM
Jonathan's Space Report
No. 590 2008 Jan 16, Somerville, MA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shuttle and Station
-------------------
The Expedition 16 crew of Whitson, Tani and Malenchenko remain aboard
ISS. Progress M-61 undocked from the Pirs module at 0359 UTC on Dec 22.
Progress M-62 was launched from Baykonur at on 0712 UTC on Dec 23 and
docked with Pirs at 0814 UTC on Dec 26. (Note that until Dec 30, Space
Command tracking confused Progress with its final rocket stage,
which reentered on Dec 26.) Progress M-62 is spacecraft production
number 362 and is ISS flight 27P.
Glonass
-------
Three Uragan-M (Glonass-M) navigation satellites, nos. 21, 22 and 23,
were launched on Dec 25 by a Proton-M with a Blok DM-2 upper stage. This
is the first time the Energiya Blok DM-2 (11S861) has been used with the
new Proton-M launch vehicle instead of the older Proton-K.
GPS
---
GPS 57 made its apogee burn at 2320 UTC on Dec 22 into a 20143 x 20317 km
x 55.0 deg orbit.
Rascom
------
The African-owned RASCOM-QAF-1 satellite was still in its initial
transfer orbit 10 days after launch; manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
has reported a problem in its propulsion system. No new US orbital data
for the satellite have appeared since Jan 1, so it may now have begun
raising its orbit. Even if it reaches its geostationary location, the
operational lifetime of the satellite is expected to be severely
shortened.
USA 198
-------
The National Reconnaissance Office's USA 198 spacecraft was launched
into a 261 x 16776 km x 60.0 deg orbit on Dec 10. According to
independent observers, it maneuvered to a 12-hour, 515 x 39705 km x 62.6
deg Molniya-type orbit sometime around Dec 28. The spacecraft is thought
to be a data relay communications satellite.
Seven Mystery Skylarks
----------------------
Occasionally I throw out a historical mystery in the hope that some
reader will have the answer. Here is today's: the Skylark sounding rocket
was the mainstay of the British suborbital space science program from 1957
to 1978, and then served as the vehicle for various European microgravity
programs, especially TEXUS, until its retirement in 2005.
The UK Science Research Council's Skylark science flight program was
cancelled in 1977-78. But, from 1973 to 1978 there were seven launches
from Woomera in the SL1290 series that appear only in a comprehensive
listing of Skylarks from the manufacturer and not in any of the compendia
describing the science program. What were they, and which agency launched
them? Here are the details I have:
1973 Jul 17 Skylark 3 AC SL12911974 Jul 22 Skylark 3 AC SL1292
1975 Feb 28 Skylark 3 AC SL1293
1975 Jul 3 Skylark 6 AC SL1295
1977 Jun 8 Skylark 3 AC SL1298
1978 Nov 15 Skylark 3 AC SL1296
1978 Dec 13 Skylark 3 AC SL1297
Anyone out there have any data on these launches?
Geoff Richards just sent me the speculation that they might be related
to development of components for the Chevaline reentry vehicle on
the UK's Polaris missiles, which seems plausible. It's also possible
they were some kind of ozone monitoring program by the Meteorological
Office, which wouldn't have appeared in the Science Research Council
documents.
NASA 36.243UG
-------------
Stephan McCandliss reports that his far UV telescope and LIDOS UV
spectrograph have flown again, on sounding rocket NASA 36.243UG launched
at 0523:00 UTC on 2008 Jan 11. This was the first flight of a Black
Brant IX Mod 2 from White Sands. The Mod 2 uses a Mk 70 Terrier booster
and the new Black Brant Mk1 sustainer. The igniter for the Mk1 was recently
redesigned following the failure of NASA 40.17UE in 2006 Mar. This third
flight of LIDOS was targeted on the Orion Nebula, and the orbit was
around -6370 x 315 km.
Messenger
---------
NASA's Messenger probe flew past Mercury at 200 km altitude
at 1904 UTC on Jan 14. This was the first Mercury encounter since
Mariner 10 in 1975. The flyby hyperbola is inclined 5.0 deg to
the Mercurian equator, and the encounter changes Messenger's orbit
around the Sun from 0.33 x 0.75 AU to 0.32 x 0.70 AU. After more flybys,
Messenger will enter orbit around Mercury in 2011.
Thuraya 3
---------
A Boeing GEM (GEO Mobile) communications satellite with a large antenna for
cellphone service was launched by Boeing Sea Launch Zenit-3SL on Jan 15.
The Zenit-3SL returned to flight successfully after its 2006 failure.
The payload is Thuraya 3, for Thuraya Satellite Comms. based in Abu Dhabi
and was inserted into a 729 x 35889 km x 6.2 deg orbit.
Table of Recent (orbital) Launches
----------------------------------
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.
Dec 9 0015 Kosmos-2434 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC81/24 Comms 58A
Dec 9 0231 Cosmo 2 Delta 7420-10 Vandenberg SLC2W Radar 59A
Dec 10 2205 USA 198 (NROL-24) Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Comms? 60A
Dec 14 1317 Radarsat-2 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Baykonur LC31 Radar 61A
Dec 20 2004 GPS 57 (USA 199) Delta 7925 Canaveral SLC17A Nav 62A
Dec 21 2141 Rascom-QAF-1 ) Ariane 5GS Kourou ELA3 Comms 63A
Horizons 2 ) Comms 63D
Dec 23 0712 Progress M-62 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1 Cargo 64B
Dec 25 1932 Kosmos-2435) Proton-M/DM-2 Baykonur LC81/24 Nav 65A
Kosmos-2436) Nav 65B
Kosmos-2437) Nav 65C
Jan 15 1149 Thuraya 3 Zenit-3SL Odyssey, Pacific Comms 01A
..-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Jonathan McDowell | phone : (617) 495-7176 |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : |
| USA | |
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
No. 590 2008 Jan 16, Somerville, MA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shuttle and Station
-------------------
The Expedition 16 crew of Whitson, Tani and Malenchenko remain aboard
ISS. Progress M-61 undocked from the Pirs module at 0359 UTC on Dec 22.
Progress M-62 was launched from Baykonur at on 0712 UTC on Dec 23 and
docked with Pirs at 0814 UTC on Dec 26. (Note that until Dec 30, Space
Command tracking confused Progress with its final rocket stage,
which reentered on Dec 26.) Progress M-62 is spacecraft production
number 362 and is ISS flight 27P.
Glonass
-------
Three Uragan-M (Glonass-M) navigation satellites, nos. 21, 22 and 23,
were launched on Dec 25 by a Proton-M with a Blok DM-2 upper stage. This
is the first time the Energiya Blok DM-2 (11S861) has been used with the
new Proton-M launch vehicle instead of the older Proton-K.
GPS
---
GPS 57 made its apogee burn at 2320 UTC on Dec 22 into a 20143 x 20317 km
x 55.0 deg orbit.
Rascom
------
The African-owned RASCOM-QAF-1 satellite was still in its initial
transfer orbit 10 days after launch; manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
has reported a problem in its propulsion system. No new US orbital data
for the satellite have appeared since Jan 1, so it may now have begun
raising its orbit. Even if it reaches its geostationary location, the
operational lifetime of the satellite is expected to be severely
shortened.
USA 198
-------
The National Reconnaissance Office's USA 198 spacecraft was launched
into a 261 x 16776 km x 60.0 deg orbit on Dec 10. According to
independent observers, it maneuvered to a 12-hour, 515 x 39705 km x 62.6
deg Molniya-type orbit sometime around Dec 28. The spacecraft is thought
to be a data relay communications satellite.
Seven Mystery Skylarks
----------------------
Occasionally I throw out a historical mystery in the hope that some
reader will have the answer. Here is today's: the Skylark sounding rocket
was the mainstay of the British suborbital space science program from 1957
to 1978, and then served as the vehicle for various European microgravity
programs, especially TEXUS, until its retirement in 2005.
The UK Science Research Council's Skylark science flight program was
cancelled in 1977-78. But, from 1973 to 1978 there were seven launches
from Woomera in the SL1290 series that appear only in a comprehensive
listing of Skylarks from the manufacturer and not in any of the compendia
describing the science program. What were they, and which agency launched
them? Here are the details I have:
1973 Jul 17 Skylark 3 AC SL12911974 Jul 22 Skylark 3 AC SL1292
1975 Feb 28 Skylark 3 AC SL1293
1975 Jul 3 Skylark 6 AC SL1295
1977 Jun 8 Skylark 3 AC SL1298
1978 Nov 15 Skylark 3 AC SL1296
1978 Dec 13 Skylark 3 AC SL1297
Anyone out there have any data on these launches?
Geoff Richards just sent me the speculation that they might be related
to development of components for the Chevaline reentry vehicle on
the UK's Polaris missiles, which seems plausible. It's also possible
they were some kind of ozone monitoring program by the Meteorological
Office, which wouldn't have appeared in the Science Research Council
documents.
NASA 36.243UG
-------------
Stephan McCandliss reports that his far UV telescope and LIDOS UV
spectrograph have flown again, on sounding rocket NASA 36.243UG launched
at 0523:00 UTC on 2008 Jan 11. This was the first flight of a Black
Brant IX Mod 2 from White Sands. The Mod 2 uses a Mk 70 Terrier booster
and the new Black Brant Mk1 sustainer. The igniter for the Mk1 was recently
redesigned following the failure of NASA 40.17UE in 2006 Mar. This third
flight of LIDOS was targeted on the Orion Nebula, and the orbit was
around -6370 x 315 km.
Messenger
---------
NASA's Messenger probe flew past Mercury at 200 km altitude
at 1904 UTC on Jan 14. This was the first Mercury encounter since
Mariner 10 in 1975. The flyby hyperbola is inclined 5.0 deg to
the Mercurian equator, and the encounter changes Messenger's orbit
around the Sun from 0.33 x 0.75 AU to 0.32 x 0.70 AU. After more flybys,
Messenger will enter orbit around Mercury in 2011.
Thuraya 3
---------
A Boeing GEM (GEO Mobile) communications satellite with a large antenna for
cellphone service was launched by Boeing Sea Launch Zenit-3SL on Jan 15.
The Zenit-3SL returned to flight successfully after its 2006 failure.
The payload is Thuraya 3, for Thuraya Satellite Comms. based in Abu Dhabi
and was inserted into a 729 x 35889 km x 6.2 deg orbit.
Table of Recent (orbital) Launches
----------------------------------
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.
Dec 9 0015 Kosmos-2434 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC81/24 Comms 58A
Dec 9 0231 Cosmo 2 Delta 7420-10 Vandenberg SLC2W Radar 59A
Dec 10 2205 USA 198 (NROL-24) Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Comms? 60A
Dec 14 1317 Radarsat-2 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Baykonur LC31 Radar 61A
Dec 20 2004 GPS 57 (USA 199) Delta 7925 Canaveral SLC17A Nav 62A
Dec 21 2141 Rascom-QAF-1 ) Ariane 5GS Kourou ELA3 Comms 63A
Horizons 2 ) Comms 63D
Dec 23 0712 Progress M-62 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1 Cargo 64B
Dec 25 1932 Kosmos-2435) Proton-M/DM-2 Baykonur LC81/24 Nav 65A
Kosmos-2436) Nav 65B
Kosmos-2437) Nav 65C
Jan 15 1149 Thuraya 3 Zenit-3SL Odyssey, Pacific Comms 01A
..-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Jonathan McDowell | phone : (617) 495-7176 |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : |
| USA | |
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------'