SPX-511 25 May 1996 SPACEWARN Activities A publication of NASA NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S as the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR (IUWDS HAS BEEN RENAMED ISES, INTERNATIONAL SPACE ENVIRONMENT SERVICES.) (All information in this publication was received between 25 April 1996 and 24 May 1996.) A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UT). (USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.) 1996-033A (23877) GALAXY 9 24 May 1996-032D (23876) PAMS-STU 22 May 1996-032C (23872) IAE 20 May 1996-032B (23871) SPARTAN 207 20 May 1996-032A (23870) STS 77 19 May 1996-031A (23868) MSTI 3 17 May 1996-030B (23865) AMOS 1 16 May 1996-030A (23864) PALAPA C-2 16 May 1996-029D (23862) USA 122 12 May 1996-028A (23860) PROGRESS M-31 05 May 1996-027A (23857) SAX 30 Apr 1996-026A (23855) USA 118 24 Apr 1996-025A (23853) COSMOS 2332 24 Apr 1996-024A (23851) MSX 24 Apr B. Text of Launch Announcements. 1996-033A GALAXY 9 is an American geosynchronous spacecraft to provide voice and vision communications to North America. It was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral. 1996-032D PAMS-STU is an American experimental spacecraft that was released from the Shuttle STS 77 to test an attitude stabilization design. The 35 kg spacecraft has an unbalanced mass distribution and two magnetic rods; the interaction of the rods with Earth's magnetic field is expected to damp any wobble or spin. There were some problems in ascertaining the success fully because of the malfunction of the laser ranger. It is expected to re-enter the atmosphere soon. Initial orbital parameters were close to those of STS 77. 1996-032C IAE (Inflatable Antenna Experiment) is an American inflatable mylar antenna that was released from STS 77. It expanded to a diameter of 16 meters and retained its shape with the help of three inflated 30-meter struts. It re-entered the atmosphere after several orbits. Initial orbital parameters were close to those of STS 77. 1996-032B SPARTAN 207 is an 850 kg module that was released from the Shuttle STS 77 as a platform from which to launch an inflatable antenna. It was captured back into the shuttle soon after the antenna release. Initial orbital parameters were close to those of STS 77. 1996-032A STS 77 is an American Shuttle that was launched from Cape Canaveral at 10:30 UT. The main mission was to release an inflatable antenna, IAE. The release occurred from a platform called SPARTAN 207, which in turn was released from the Shuttle a few hours earlier. The third object that was released was an experimental 35 kg minispacecraft, PAMS-STU. In addition, STS 77 carried the usual complement of crystal, metal, and biomedical experimental gear along with 32,000 sea urchin eggs and a supply of sperm to squirt on them, all in the Spacehab module. A new fizzy Coca-Cola delivering experimental device failed to perform satisfactorily. Initial orbital parameters were period 90.1 deg, apogee 287 km, perigee 278 km, and inclination 39.0 deg. 1996-031A MSTI 3 is an American military spacecraft that was launched by a Pegasus rocket from an airplane over California. It has the ability to monitor baseline data on Earth's atmosphere and environment. Initial orbital parameters were period 91.3 min, apogee 384 km, perigee 297 km, and inclination 97.0 deg. 1996-030B AMOS 1 is an Israeli geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44L rocket along with PALAPA C-2. The 996 kg spacecraft (with a dry mass of 471 kg) carries seven active transponders in the Ku-band to enable voice and vision communications to a large area centered on Israel. 1996-030A PALAPA C-2 is an Indonesian geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched from Kourou, French Guiana, by an Ariane 44L rocket at 01:56 UT. With its 34 transponders and parked at 113E longitude, it is expected to provide voice and vision communications to a large area bounded by Iran, Vlodivostok, Autralia, and New Zealand. 1996-029D USA 122 is an American military spacecraft that was launched (plausibly) from Cape Canaveral by a Titan rocket. It may have been accompanied by three other spacecraft (presumably USA 119/29A, USA 120/29B, and USA 121/29C), but the USSPACECOM has been unable (as of 24 May 1996) to confirm. 1996-028A PROGRESS M-31 is a Russian automatic cargo carrying spacecraft to provide equipment and supplies to the MIR station. It was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baykonur cosmodrome. It docked with MIR and delivered 3,000 kg of food, fuel, and water. Initial orbital parameters were period 92.4 min, apogee 190 km, perigee 163 km, and inclination 51.6 deg. 1996-027A SAX (Satellite per Astronomia a raggi X) is an Italian/Dutch celestial X-ray monitoring telescope that was launched from Cape Canaveral by an Atlas 1 rocket. It carries a 64 MB tape recorder to unload data from each orbit to Malindi, Kenya, via a geostationary Intelsat spacecraft. Initial orbital parameters were period 96.5 min, apogee 603 km, perigee 583 km, and inclination 96.5 deg. 1996-026A USA 118 is an American military spacecraft. 1996-025A COSMOS 2332 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome. Initial orbital parameters were period 103.6 min, apogee 1,564 km, perigee 294 km, and inclination 82.9 deg. 1996-024A MSX (Midcourse Space eXperiment) spacecraft is an American military spacecraft to detect missile launches during the "midcourse" phase. It was launched by a Delta 2 booster from Vandenberg AFB at about 16:15 UT. Its multispectral instruments are capable of obtaining wide band and spectral images in the range of infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths; the emissions also enable civilian aeronomic and auroral studies. The 2,700 kg, 5.1 meter spacecraft carries three sections each of 150 cm x 150 cm cross-section to house three payload components: electronics section, 8.5 K frozen hydrogen section, and instruments section. The four instruments are wide-field visible light imager, wide-field UV imager, narrow-field UV and visible light imager, and spectroscopic imager. Initial orbital parameters were period 103.5 min, apogee 905 km, perigee 897 km, and inclination 99.3 deg. C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation. 1. Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric or geodetic studies. (NNSS denotes U.S. Navy Navigational Satellite System; an asterisk [*] indicates updated/new information since the last issue. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with information from the user community.) THE LIST REMAINS THE SAME AS IN SPX-504 BUT WITH ADDITIONS LISTED IN SPX-507. THIS SECTION WILL BE REVIVED FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN A SIGNIFICANT VOLUME OF UPDATES IS AVAILABLE FROM THE USER COMMUNITY. 2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies. ("NNN" denotes no national name. SPACEWARN Bulletin appreciates suggestions to update this list. An asterisk [*] denotes changes in this issue.) High precision (< 20 cm) GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International Association of Geodesy (IGS). FTP: igscb.jpl.nasa.gov [directory /igscb] WWW: http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/ E-Mail: igscb@cobra.jpl.nasa.gov Designations, Epoch, Frequency, National Name and Orbit Information Remarks 1989-013A (19802) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-1 USA 35 1575.42 MHz (Second Generation Global 1227.60 MHz Positioning Satellite) and Inclination: 55.3 deg NAVSTAR 14. PRN: 14.] 1989-044A (20061) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-2 and USA 38 1575.42 MHz NAVSTAR 13. PRN: 2.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 54.3 deg 1989-064A (20185) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-3 and USA 42 1575.42 MHz NAVSTAR 16. PRN: 16.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 55.0 deg 1989-085A (20302) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-4 and USA 47 1575.42 MHz NAVSTAR 19. PRN: 19.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 53.3 deg 1989-097A (20361) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-5 and USA 49 1575.42 MHz NAVSTAR 17. PRN: 17.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 55.9 deg 1990-008A (20452) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-6 USA 50 1575.42 MHz and NAVSTAR 18. PRN: 18.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 54.0 deg 1990-025A (20533) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-7 and USA 54 1575.42 MHz NAVSTAR 20. PRN: 20.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 54.7 deg 1990-068A (20724) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-8 USA 63 1575.42 MHz and NAVSTAR 21. PRN: 21.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 54.9 deg 1990-088A (20830) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-9 USA 64 1575.42 MHz and NAVSTAR 15. PRN: 15.] 1227.60 MHz Inclination: 55.8 deg 1990-103A (20959) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-10, USA 66 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-1, and NAVSTAR 23. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 23.] Inclination: 55.1 deg 1991-047A (21552) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-11, USA 71 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-2, and NAVSTAR 24. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 24.] Inclination: 56.1 deg 1992-009A (21890) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-12, USA 79 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-3, and NAVSTAR 25. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 25.] Inclination: 53.9 deg 1992-019A (21930) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-13, USA 80 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-4, and NAVSTAR 28. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 28.] Inclination: 55.7 deg 1992-039A (22014) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-14, USA 83 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-5, and NAVSTAR 26. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 26.] Inclination: 54.8 deg 1992-058A (22108) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-15, USA 84 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-6,and NAVSTAR 27. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 27.] Inclination: 54.1 deg 1992-079A (22231) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-16, USA 85 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-7, and NAVSTAR 32. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 1.] Inclination: 54.7 deg 1992-089A (22275) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-17, USA 87 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-8,and NAVSTAR 29. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 29.] Inclination: 54.6 deg 1993-007A (22446) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-18, USA 88 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-9, and NAVSTAR 22. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 22.] Inclination: 54.3 deg 1993-017A (22581) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-19, USA 90 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-10, and NAVSTAR 31. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 31.] Inclination: 55.2 deg 1993-032A (22657) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-20, USA 91 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-11, and NAVSTAR 37. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 7.] Inclination: 55.2 deg 1993-042A (22700) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-21, USA 92 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-12, and NAVSTAR 39. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 9.] Inclination: 54.3 deg 1993-054A (22779) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-22, USA 94 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-13, and NAVSTAR 35. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 5.] Inclination: 54.5 deg 1993-068A (22877) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-23, USA 96 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-14, and NAVSTAR 34. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 4.] Inclination: 55.5 deg 1994-016A (23027) 24 November 1995 [Also known as GPS 2-24, USA 100 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-15, and NAVSTAR 36. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 6.] Inclination: 55.1 deg 1996-019A 25 April 1996 [Also known as GPS 2-25, USA 117 1575.42 MHz GPS 2A-16, and NAVSTAR 33. 1227.60 MHz PRN: 3.] Inclination: 54.7 deg The GPS 2-NN series orbits in six distinct planes that are about 60 deg apart. Each plane has five "slots." Following are the 2-NN members in the planes/ slots. The RAAN decreases or increases by about 1.0 deg each month; below are their approximate RAAN longitudes in November 1995. PLANE RAAN OF PLANE SLOT-1 SLOT-2 SLOT-3 SLOT-4 SLOT-5 A 235 2-21 2-12 2-15 2-04 B 296 2-18 2-07 2-02 2-22 C 357 2-24 2-25 2-19 2-20 2-13 D 62 2-11 2-09 2-05 2-23 E 119 2-01 2-08 2-03 2-10 F 177 2-16 2-14 2-06 2-17 3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates/additions from readers to this list. Entries marked "*" are updates or additions to the list.) All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers (nnnn) invoked by USSPACECOM have often differed from the numbers (NNNN) associated in Russia; when different, the USSPACECOM COSMOS numbers are shown in parentheses. The corresponding GLONASS numbers are Russian numbers, followed by the numbers in parentheses that are sometimes attributed to them outside Russia. The operating frequencies in MHz are computed from the channel number K. Frequencies (MHz) are L1 = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K. COSMOS NNNN(nnnn) ID (Catalog #) Epoch, Frequency, and Orbit Comments, GLONASS # COSMOS 2111 23 November 1995 GLONASS 249 (49) 90-110C (21008) Channel: 23 Inclination: 65.1 RAAN: 091.8 COSMOS 2178 23 November 1995 GLONASS 769 (54) 92-005B (21854) Channel: 2 Inclination: 65.1 RAAN: 091.5 COSMOS 2179 23 November 1995 GLONASS 771 (55) 92-005C (21855) Channel: 23 Inclination: 65.1 RAAN: 091.4 COSMOS 2204 (2205) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 756 (57) 92-047B (22057) Channel: 24 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 330.9 COSMOS 2206 (2204) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 774 (56) 92-047A (22056) Channel: 1 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 330.8 COSMOS 2235 (2336) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 759 (61) 93-010C (22514) Channel: 21 Inclination: 65.1 RAAN: 091.3 COSMOS 2236 (2235) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 757 (60) 93-010B (22513) Channel: 5 Inclination: 65.1 RAAN: 091.3 COSMOS 2275 (2277) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 758 (64) 94-021C (23045) Channel: 10 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.2 COSMOS 2276 (2275) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 760 (62) 94-021A (23043) Channel: 24 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.2 COSMOS 2277 (2276) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 761 (63) 94-021B (23044) Channel: 3 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.2 COSMOS 2287 23 November 1995 GLONASS 767 (65) 94-050A (23203) Channel: 22 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.2 COSMOS 2288 (2289) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 770 (67) 94-050C (23205) Channel: 9 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.2 COSMOS 2289 (2288) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 775 (66) 94-050B (23204) Channel: 22 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.2 COSMOS 2294 (2296) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 762 (70) 94-076C (23398) Channel: 12 Inclination: 65.0 RAAN: 091.4 COSMOS 2295 (2294) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 763 (68) 94-076A (23396) Channel: 21 Inclination: 65.0 RAAN: 091.4 COSMOS 2296 (2295) 23 November 1995 GLONASS 764 (69) 94-076B (23397) Channel: 13 Inclination: 65.0 RAAN: 091.3 COSMOS 2307 23 November 1995 GLONASS 765 (73) 95-009C (23513) Channel: 1 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.4 COSMOS 2308 23 November 1995 GLONASS 766 (71) 95-009A (23511) Channel: 10 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.5 COSMOS 2309 23 November 1995 GLONASS 777 (72) 95-009B (23512) Channel: 3 Inclination: 64.7 RAAN: 331.5 COSMOS 2316 23 November 1995 GLONASS 780 (74) 95-037A (23620) Channel: 4 Inclination: 64.9 RAAN: 211.0 COSMOS 2317 23 November 1995 GLONASS 781 (75) 95-037B (23621) Channel: 9 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.0 COSMOS 2318 17 January 1996 GLONASS 785 (76) 95-037C (23622) Channel: 4 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.0 COSMOS 2323 25 December 1995 GLONASS 776 (??) 95-068A (23734) Channel: 6 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.0 COSMOS 2324 25 December 1995 GLONASS 778 (??) 95-068B (23735) Channel: 11 Spare. Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.0 COSMOS 2325 25 December 1995 GLONASS 782 (??) 95-068C (23736) Channel: 6 Inclination: 64.8 RAAN: 211.0 The GLONASS NNN series orbits in three distinct planes that are 120 deg apart. Each plane has eight "slots." Following are the members of the planes/slots. Plane 1 Plane 2 Plane 3 slot-1 771 slot-9 776/778 slot-17 760 slot-2 757 slot-10 781 slot-18 758 slot-3 763 slot-11 785 slot-19 777 slot-4 762 slot-12 767 slot-20 765 slot-5 249 slot-13 782 slot-21 756 slot-6 764 slot-14 770 slot-22 766 slot-7 759 slot-15 780 slot-23 761 slot-8 769 slot-16 775 slot-24 774 CONTACT: Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC) Russian Space Forces E-Mail: sfcsic@iki3.bitnet; sfcsic@iki3.iki.rssi.ru; sfcsic@mx.iki.rssi.ru Home Page WWW.IKI: http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/SFCSIC_main.html 4. Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. No further information is available. Designations Common Name 1996 1996-032C (23872) IAE 22 May 1996-023B (23849) R/B PRIRODA 19 May 1996-023C (23850) R/B PRIRODA 13 May 1994-072A (23336) COSMOS 2293 13 May 1996-028B (23861) R/B PROGRESS M-31 08 May 5. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.) NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S is an archival center for science data from many spacecraft. Some data are on line for electronic access. Please contact the Request Office, NSSDC, Code 633, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (REQUEST@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV). Information on the current status of the instruments on board from the investigators will be most welcomed. Precomputed trajectory files and orbital parameters of many magnetospheric and heliospheric science-payload spacecraft may be FTP'ed from NSSDC's ANON_DIR:[000000.ACTIVE] and its several subdirectories. (See the last page of the bulletin for the access method; a file in the ACTIVE directory named AAREADME.DOC outlines the contents.) It can also be accessed through the WWW URL http://sscop1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc.html This HTML also enables executing several codes related to the orbits of many geocentric science payload spacecraft. The codes related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed through URL http://nssdc/space/helios/heli.html SPACEWARN Bulletin ------------------ The Bulletin is intended to serve as an international communication medium for the rapid distribution of information on satellites and space probes. The material it contains is based on guidelines in the COSPAR Guide to Rocket and Satellite Information and Data Exchange, COSPAR Transactions #8, December 1972, and various Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) resolutions. Hard copy recipients and electronic accessers are encouraged to disseminate the bulletin to interested individuals and institutions in their regions or countries. All bulletins beginning with January 1991 (SPX-447) are now available on line; the SPX number increases by one for each succeeding month (for example, the January 1993 bulletin is SPX-471). Through DECnet: At prompt type: copy nssdca::anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 Through FTP: At prompt type: ftp nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov At the next prompt type: anonymous At the PASSWORD (NSSDCA.GSFC.GOV.ANONYMOUS) prompt hit: return At the next prompt type: get anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 spx.471 Other subdirectories in [000000.active] carry many files of interest on science payload spacecraft. The bulletin may also be accessed through the World Wide Web (WWW). The URL is http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spacewarn.html. Users are urged to submit their comments and suggestions for the improvement of this bulletin to SPACEWARN Bulletin, World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites, Code 633, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 U.S.A. Categories of Spacecraft To improve the effectiveness of international distribution of satellite and space probe information via the SPACEWARN system, spacecraft are identified in categories according to the urgency and detail of information needed by the scientific community as follows: CATEGORY 1: Spacecraft that carry essentially continuous telemetry or radio beacons, usually on frequencies less than 150 MHz. CATEGORY 2: GPS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 3: GLONASS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 4: Occassionally, a list of bright, orbiting objects of visual magnitude 4 or brighter. The bulletin also carries launch dates, international ID's and USSPACECOM catalog numbers, followed by a brief outline of the payload and orbital parameters, re-entry of major objects, and miscellaneous sections. These data are based on launch announcements or on information received from individuals, launching authorities, FBIS and USSPACECOM telexes, and news magazines.