SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 572 01 July 2001
A publication of NASA’s National Space Science Data Center/World Data Center for Satellite Information as the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR
SPACEWARN Activities
All information in this publication was received between
1 June 2001 and 30 June 2001.
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 (2001)
-------------------------------------------------------
2001-027A (26859) MAP 30 June
2001-026A (26857) ICO F2 19 June
2001-025A (26853) Astra 2C 16 June
2001-024A (26824) Intelsat 901 09 June
2001-023A (26818) Cosmos 2378 08 June
B. Text of Launch Announcements.
| 2001-027A | MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe) is an American astrophysics satellite that was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 19:46 UT on 30 June 2001. The 830 kg, 400 W probe will scan the sky in five wavelength bands at 13.6, 10.0, 7.5, 5.0, and 3.3 mm at an angular resolution of about 0.58 (+/- 0.035) deg, and at a sensitivity of 35 micro-Kelvin after “parking” itself over the second Lagrangian point (L-2) at 1.5 million km in the nightside. These parameters were invoked on the basis of the anisotropy in the 2.7 deg Kelvin cosmic radiation revealed by the earlier mission, COBE. It carries two Gregorian telescopes each with a primary reflector of about 1.5 m and a secondary of 1.0 m diameter. The two telescopes will point to the sky a few degrees apart so that the difference in the temperature can be directly outputted. (One of the branches of cosmology invokes an early “inflationary” epoch of spurious super-expansion of the “Big Bang” fireball giving rise to a small anisotropy that eventually gave birth to the galactic structures in the otherwise mathematically homogenous and isotropic universe.) The spacecraft has an intrinsic spin of 0.464 rpm superposed on a precession (22.5 deg about the Sun-MAP line) of 1.0 rph. A full-sky map can be obtained every six months. MAP will reach L-2 after three or more lunar encounters/phasings, and enter into a controlled Lissajous orbit around that point with a maximum deviation of the Sun-MAP line from the Sun-Earth line of 10 deg. About four thrust maneuvers/year are required to sustain the orbit configuration. For more details, see http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_mm.html and its links. |
|---|---|
| 2001-026A | ICO F2 is a British relay satellite that was launched by an Atlas 2AS rocket from Cape Canaveral at 04:41 UT on 19 June 2001. The ICO fleet, anticipated to consist of 10 satellites, will enable relay in S- and C-bands of voice and internet communications from/to land and ocean based mobile telephones. With a total power of 5 kW, ICO F2 will enable a simultaneous capacity in 4,500 channels. Initial orbital parameters were period 351 min, apogee 10,126 km, perigee 10,104 km, and inclination 45 deg. |
| 2001-025A | Astra 2C is a European (Luxembourg-registered) geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baikonur at 01:49 UT on 16 June 2001. The 3.7 tonne (including 1.2 tonne of fuel), 8 kW spacecraft is the fifth in the Astra series. It carries 32 Ku-band transponders to provide voice, video, and data links to Western Europe through a pair of 3 m diameter dishes, after parking over 28.2 deg-E longitude. |
| 2001-024A | Intelsat 901 is a geosynchronous communications spacecraft of that international consortium that was launched by an Ariane 44 L rocket from Kourou at 06:45 UT on 9 June 2001. (The expanded name of the consortium is International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO). Beginning with its first satellite, Early Bird (1965-028A), it has so far successfully launched 54 satellites, 19 of which are currently operational.) The 4.7 tonne (with fuel) will provide voice and video services to Europe and the Americas through 44 C-band and 12 Ku-band transponders after parking over the equatorial Atlantic ocean. |
| 2001-023A | Cosmos 2378 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched by a Cosmos-3M rocket from Plesetsk at 16:12 UT on 8 June 2001. It is likely to belong in the Tsyklon-B constellation of navigational/communications system comprising of Parus (“Sail”) spacecraft for accurate location of missile carrying submarines and ships. Initial orbital parameters were period 105 min, apogee 1,010 km, perigee 964 km, and inclination 82.9 deg. |
C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation
- 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. - Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational
purposes and geodetic studies. (“NNN” denotes no national name. SPACEWARN
would appreciate 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.govThe 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.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem
It provides many links to GPS related databases. - 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) = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K.The standard format of the GLONASS situation 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. - Visually bright objects.
A comprehensive list of visually bright
objects with their two-line orbital elements is available from USSPACECOM, via a
NASA URL, http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/files/visible.tle. The list, however,
does not include visual magnitudes, but are expected to be brighter than
magnitude 5. - Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B)
only. No further information is available.Designations Common Name Decay Date (2001) 2001-025B (26854) R/B Proton-K 18 June 1995-009H (23518) R/B Kosmos-3M 08 June 2001-022B (26776) R/B Soyuz-U 02 June
- Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that
are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the
SPACEWARN Bulletin.) - 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://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/orbitsOther files interest for Earth-centered spacecraft can be generated through 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.htmlMagnetospheric, Planetary, and Astronomical science data from many spacecraft
may be accessed through links from the URL:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/sc-query.html
