SPX-539 SPACEWARN Activities A publication of NASA NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S and the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR (All information in this publication was received between 1 September 1998 and 30 September 1998.) A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UT). (USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.) 1998-054A (25485) MOLNIYA 1-91 28 Sep 1998-053H (25482) ORBCOMM-FM 28 23 Sep 1998-053G (25481) ORBCOMM-FM 27 23 Sep 1998-053F (25480) ORBCOMM-FM 26 23 Sep 1998-053E (25479) ORBCOMM-FM 25 23 Sep 1998-053D (25478) ORBCOMM-FM 24 23 Sep 1998-053C (25477) ORBCOMM-FM 23 23 Sep 1998-053B (25476) ORBCOMM-FM 22 23 Sep 1998-053A (25475) ORBCOMM-FM 21 23 Sep 1998-052A (25473) PAS 7 16 Sep 1998-051E (25471) IRIDIUM 77 08 Sep 1998-051D (25470) IRIDIUM 79 08 Sep 1998-051C (25469) IRIDIUM 80 08 Sep 1998-051B (25468) IRIDIUM 81 08 Sep 1998-051A (24467) IRIDIUM 82 08 Sep B. Text of Launch Announcements. 1998-054A MOLNIYA 1-91 is a Russian military communications spacecraft that was launched by a Molniya-M rocket from Plesetsk at 23:41 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 12hr:17min, apogee 40,860 km (in the Northern Hemisphere), perigee 457 km, and inclination 62.8 deg. 1998-053A, ORBCOMM-FM 21, -FM 22, -FM 23, -FM 24, -FM 25, -FM 26, -FM 27, 053B,053C, and -FM 28 are the latest to join the ORBCOMM fleet. These American 053D,053E, spacecraft were launched at 05:06 UT by a Pegasus rocket released 053F,053G, from a L-1011 aircraft flying out of Wallops Island in Virginia 053H (USA). The fleet enables voice and data communications from/to remote stations. Initial orbital parameters of all were similar: period 101 min, apogee 830 km, perigee 820 km, and inclination 45 deg. 1998-052A PAS 7 (PanAmSat 7) is an American geostationary communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44LP rocket from Kourou at 06:31 UT. The 3,838 kg satellite carries 40 Ku-band and 18 C-band transponders to provide voice and video communications to Europe and West Asia, after parking at 68.5-E longitude. 1998-051A, IRIDIUMs 82, 81, 80, 79, and 77 are the latest batch to join the 051B,051C, American Iridium fleet. They were launched by a Delta 2 rocket 051D,051E from Vandenberg AFB to replace the dysfunctional members of the fleet. The fleet provides telephone links between sites far away from cellular networks. Initial orbital parameters of all five were similar: period 95 min, apogee 540 km, perigee 520 km, and inclination 86 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 or new information since the last issue. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with information from the user community.) SEE LIST IN SPX-520. THE LIST WILL REAPPEAR ONLY AFTER MAJOR UPDATES TO THE LIST ARE AVAILABLE. 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 The standard format of the GPS situation appeared in SPX-518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at URL http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem. It provides many links to GPS-related data bases. The latest member of the GPS fleet is NAVSTAR 38 (1997-067A), launched on 6 November 1997. 3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates or additions from readers to this list. An asterisk [*] indicates updates or additions to the list.) All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers invoked by USSPACECOM have sometimes differed from the numbers (NNNN) associated in 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. The standard format of the GLONASS situation appeared in SPX-515. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source, with the URL http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/glonass.html, maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC), Russian Space Forces. 4. Actual decays or landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. No further information is available. Designations Common Name 1998 1997-028D (24830) R/B Proton-K 29 Sep 1997-065B (25020) R/B Atlas 2A 27 Sep 1990-102E (20957) R/B of GORIZONT 2 27 Sep 1998-048C (25433) R/B Long March 3 21 Sep 1983-038E (14041) R/B of COSMOS 1457 08 Sep 1993-010G (22524) R/B Proton-1 05 Sep 1988-012C (18879) R/B H-1 05 Sep 1978-039C (10794) R/B Delta 1 04 Sep 5. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information or data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.) The MOC camera on the Mars Global Surveyor was turned off on 13 September 1998; it will be turned on after the spacecraft achieves a lower orbit in March 1999. 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 the URL http://nssdc/space/helios/heli.html Magnetospheric, planetary, and astronomical science data from many spacecraft may be accessed through links from the URL http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ =========================================================================== 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 the prompt type: copy nssdca::anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 Through FTP, at the 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: Occasionally, a list of bright, orbiting objects of visual magnitude 4 or brighter. The bulletin also carries launch dates, international IDs, 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. Launch Organization Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) Spacecraft Mission Interaction between solar wind and Martian upper atmosphere