Status Report

SPACEWARN Bulletin 601 (DRAFT)

By SpaceRef Editor
December 6, 2003
Filed under , ,

A monthly publication of the National Space Science Data Center/World Data Center for Satellite Information

SPACEWARN Activities

All information in this publication was received between
1 November 2003 and 30 November 2003.

A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UTC).

USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.

  COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM  SPACECRAFT              LAUNCH
    INT.ID    CAT. #      NAME                   DATE (UT)
  ----------------------------------------------------------------

   2003-052A    (28082)  Zhongxing 20            14 November 2003
   2003-051C    (28078)  FSW-3 1                 03 November 2003

B. Text of Launch Announcements.

2003-052A Zhongxing 20
is a Chinese (PRC) military communications spacecraft
that was launched by a Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satellite
Launch Center (XSLC) on 14 November 2003. Initial orbital parameters
were period 756 min, apogee 42,041 km, perigee 202 km, and
inclination 63°.
2003-051C FSW-3 1
is a Chinese (PRC) recoverable satellite that was
launched at 07:20 UT on 3 November 2003, by a Long March 2-D rocket.
During the few weeks of orbiting, it was to collect “scientific and
other” data through its imaging instruments. It reentered on 25 November
2003, probably as a soft-landing. Initial orbital parameters
were period 89.7 min, apogee 330 km, perigee 191 km, and inclination
63°.

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. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with
    information from the user community.)

    Note:
    The full list appeared in SPX 545.
    The list will not be repeated in future issues until significantly revised again.

  2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational
    purposes and geodetic studies.

    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:

    http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html

    It provides many links to GPS related databases.

    The latest addition to the fleet is Navstar 51 (GPS 2R-8), 2003-005A.

  3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS
    constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates/additions from readers to this list.)

    All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers
    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) = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K.

    The standard format of the GLONASS situation last appeared in SPX-545. It
    will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source at:
    http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/english.html
    maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC), Russian
    Space Forces.

  4. Visually bright objects.

    A comprehensive list of visually bright objects with their two-line
    orbital elements is available through a NASA site as follows:

    1. Go to http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/scripts/foxweb.exe/app01?
    2. Select “OIG Main Page”.
    3. Select “Send Message to System administrator”, who will provide a login account.
    4. After getting an ID and a Password, click on “Registered User Login”.
      (Step (3) is not needed after obtaining an account.)
    5. Select “Continue”.
    6. Select “General information”.
    7. Select “Reports”.
    8. Select “Special Interest Group Report”.
    9. Select “Visible Interest Satellites” along with “Header and TLE”.

    The list does not provide visual magnitude, but are
    expected to be brighter than magnitude 5.
    Note: The login requirement is enforced due to the events on 11 September 2001.

  5. Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B)
    only. No further information is available.

    Designations         Common Name                  Decay Date (2003)
    
    1970-113A (04813)  COSMOS 389                              24 Nov
    2003-015D (27778)  R/B (Aux.) Proton-K                     22 Nov
    1999-022B (25722)  MEGSAT                                  04 Nov
    2002-027B (27439)  R/B Ariane 44L                          01 Nov        
    
  6. 60-day Decay Predictions.

    The USSPACECOM forecasts and maintains a
    list of decays of orbiting objects expected in the next 60 days , with fair
    accuracy. The list may be accessed through a NASA site as follows:

    1. Go to http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/scripts/foxweb.exe/app01?
    2. Select “OIG Main Page”.
    3. Select “Send Message to System administrator”, who will provide a login account.
    4. After getting an ID and a Password, click on “Registered User Login”.
      (Step (3) is not needed after obtaining an account.)
    5. Select “Continue”.
    6. Select “General information”.
    7. Select “Reports”.
    8. Select “Sixty Day Decay…”.

    Note: The login requirement is enforced due to the events on 11 September 2001.

  7. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that
    are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the
    SPACEWARN Bulletin.)

  8. Related NSSDC resources.

    NSSDC/WDC for Satellite Information is an archival center for science
    data from many spacecraft. Many space physics datasets are on-line for
    electronic access through:
    http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/

    For off-line data, 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 obtained from:
    ftp://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/miscellaneous/orbits/

    Other files of interest for Earth-centered spacecraft can be generated via the URL,
    http://sscweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/

    Programs related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed
    through the URL,
    http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/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/sc-query.html

SpaceRef staff editor.