Jonathan's Space Report No. 720 2015 Dec 16 Somerville, MA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Station --------------------------- Expedition 45 continued until undocking of Soyuz TMA-17M on Dec 11, when Expedition 46 began. United Launch Alliance launched Atlas V flight AV-061 on Dec 6 carrying the Cygnus OA-4 cargo ship mission. Following the Antares failure last year, Cygnus payloads were temporarily moved to Atlas. The OA-4 Cygnus, called 'SS Deke Slayton II', is the first Cygnus with the enhanced (stretched) EPCM pressurized cargo module, and the first with a service module carrying the circular UltraFlex solar arrays originally designed for NASA's Orion. This was the first time an Atlas launched a payload towards the ISS. The AV-061 Centaur reached a 234 x 237 km orbit at 2203 UTC, released Cygnus 3 min later, and performed a 10s deorbit burn at 2232 UTC for disposal of the Centaur in the ocean south of Australia at about 132E 49S. The Deke Slayton II reached the ISS on Dec 9, with SSRMS grapple at 1119 UTC and berthing on Harmony at 1426 UTC. Aboart the Cygnus is the small NovaWurks SIMPL satellite, 12 Flock 2e cubesats from Planet Labs, and the CADRE, STMSat-1, MinXSS-1, Nodes 1 and Nodes 2 cubesats. Mass of ISS after the OA-4 arrival is 418 metric tons. The Soyuz TMA-17M crew of Kononenko, Yui and Lindgren landed on Dec 11. Soyuz TMA-17M undocked from Rassvet at 0949 UTC, made its deorbit burn at 1219 UTC, and landed in Kazakhstan at about 1312 UTC. Soyuz TMA-19M, with crewmembers Yuriy Malenchenko, Tim Kopra, and Tim Peake, was launched on Dec 15. Volkov, Kelly and Kornienko remain on the station during the changeover. TMA-19M began its flyaround of ISS at 1700 UTC Dec 15. Final approach to the Rassvet module began 1708 UTC under computer control but was aborted at 1716 UTC at a distance of around 30m; after backing off, Malenchenko resumed approach manually at 1729 UTC and docked at 1733 UTC. Now that the UK has begun financial support for the ESA human spaceflight program, Tim Peake's mission - named 'Principia' - is considered the first 'official' British human spaceflight mission. The first British citizen to leave Earth was Helen Sharman, who flew the commercial, mainly Soviet-funded, Project Juno mission in 1991 aboard Soyuz TM-12 to Mir, landing on Soyuz TM-11. Other British citizens who have flown in space include Mike Foale, Piers Sellers, Nick Patrick and Richard Garriott, who have dual US citizenship and who were all born in England, and Mark Shuttleworth, who is a South African-born dual UK citizen. American astronaut Greg H. Johnson was born in England too, but I'm not sure if he is a also British citizen. LISA Pathfinder --------------- LISA Pathfinder (LPF, originally SMART-2) was launched by Vega VV06 on Dec 3. The gravitational-physics technology development spacecraft will test the LISA Technology Package (LTP), containing an inertial sensor measuring the motion of two Gravitational Reference Sensors 0.38m apart each containing 46mm, 2 kg, Au-Pt cubes. Their relative motion can be measured to one millionth of a micron. LTP will reduce risk for the proposed eLISA gravitational wave search mission which will have mass sensors 2 billion times further apart than LTP, using a triad of spacecraft spaced a million km apart from each other. A NASA-provided Disturbance Reduction System (originally the Space Technology 7 mission) will use ion thrusters to move the spacecraft to follow the motion of the test masses. By measuring the path of the test masses with only gravitational forces acting on them, the local curvature of spacetime can be determined with unprecedented precision. The mission is intended to understand the major sources of errors in the measurement, to prepare for eLISA. Vega VV06 fired its three solid motors and then made the first liquid AVUM 4th stage burn to reach a 208 x 1165 km transfer orbit at 0420 UTC. On descent to perigee at 0545 UTC the AVUM restarted to put LPF in a 209 x 1521 km x 6.0 deg orbit. AVUM then separated and made a small avoidance burn (not a "deorbit burn" as claimed by the press kit) to 214 x 1474 km x 6.0 deg, slightly decreasing the stage's orbital lifetime. LPF's propulsion module (PRM), based on the Airbus-DS Eurostar 2000 communications satellite bus with an S400 main thruster and 1100 kg of propellant, slowly raise LPF's orbit until it is en route to the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point (SEL1) 1.5 million km noonward. The 320 kg empty PRM will be jettisoned in January, a month after the last burn, as the 486 kg LPF enters a 0.5 x 0.8 million km Lissajous orbit around SEL1. As of Dec 12, all the ARM apogee raising burns had been carried out and LPF was on its way to SEL1: Orbit (km x km x deg) Dec 3 0420 AVUM-1 208 x 1165 x 6.0 Dec 3 0545 AVUM-2 209 x 1521 x 6.0 Dec 7 0520? ARM-1 207 x 1557 x 6.0 Dec 7 1721 ARM-2 293 x 3394 x 6.0 Dec 8 0731 ARM-3 443 x 7108 x 6.0 Dec 8 2102 ARM-4 710 x 44473 x 6.0 Dec 9 2355 ARM-5 748 x 124805 x 6.0 (no TLEs yet) Dec 12 0518 ARM-6 750?x 1500000 x 6.0 (no TLEs yet) Dec 13 Corr.1 Small 7m/s correction Zhongxing-1C ------------- China launched the ZX-1C communications satellite to geotransfer orbit on Dec 9. The satellite is thought to be the second Fenghuo-2 military communications satellite, joining ZX-1A launched in 2011. Soyuz-2-1V launch ----------------- Russia carried out the second launch of the Soyuz-2-1V rocket, carrying the 440 kg Kanopus-ST military satellite as its primary payload. Kanopus-ST carried optical, infrared and microwave imagers to test technology to locate submerged submarines. A secondary payload was KYuA-1, a 16 kg sphere used to calibrate anti-ballistic-missile radars. The two-stage core of Soyuz-2-1V reached a 208 x 681 km x 98.2 deg transfer orbit. It was cataloged as 2015-071C. The Volga upper stage (2015-071A) coasted to apogee and at about 1503 UTC made a circularization burn to reach a 684 x 693 km sun-synchronous orbit. The KYuA-1 satellite (2015-071B) was successfully ejected at about 1540 UTC, but one of several latches on the Kanopus-ST failed to open, and the payload failed to separate. The two payloads were given the public cover names Kosmos-2511 (Kanopus-ST/Volga) and Kosmos-2512 (KYuA-1). Following the failure, at about 0200 UTC Dec 6 the Volga reignited in an attempt to deorbit the Kanopus/Volga stack and prevent it becoming long-lived space debris. This burn reached an orbit of 106 x 655 km. Natural orbital decay from atmospheric drag quickly set in. On Dec 7, with the orbit at 90 x 348 km, the spacecraft split into two pieces, possibly but not certainly the Kanopus satelite and the Volga stage. The two pieces reached an orbit of 88 x 297 km on Dec 8 before reentry, with 71D coming down between 0400 and 0500 UTC and 71A reentering at 0543 UTC over the S Atlantic. Elektro-L ---------- At 1345 UTC on Dec 11, just after the Soyuz TMA-17M landing elsewhere in Kazakhstan, Russia launched a Ukrainian-built Zenit-2SB vehicle with an NPO Lavochkin 'Fregat-SB' upper stage carrying the Elektro-L No. 2 weather satellite to GEO. The Zenit-2SB second stage reached a 164 x 539 km x 51.4 deg parking orbit at 1352 UTC. The Elektro-L/Fregat-SB separated; after a first Fregat burn to 271 x 4277 km at 1500 UTC, the SBB drop tank was jettisoned. A second burn at 1711 UTC put the vehicle in geotransfer orbit, and a third burn at 2232 UTC circularized the orbit at apogee. Fregat separated and later made a fourth burn to graveyard orbit, leaving Elektro-L in the geosynchronous region. TLE orbital data for this and other recently launched objects have not yet been released. Garpun ------ Russia launched its second Garpun (`Harpoon') military communications satellite on Dec 13. The Proton rocket took off from Baykonur and is expected to deliver the satellite to geostationary orbit. Garpun No. 12L has the cover name Kosmos-2513. Current TLEs for object 41121 are actually for the discarded DTB propellant tank, which will probably be recataloged as 41123 once the payload is found. Singaporean satellites ---------------------- Six satellites for organizations based in Singapore were launched on a single Indian PSLV rocket on Dec 15. For AgilSpace, the 400 kg TeLEOS-1 satellite with a 1 meter resolution Earth imager. The satellite is built by Singapore Technologies Electronics, of which AgilSpace is a subsidiary. For Nanyang Technological University, the 123 kg VELOX-C1 carrying a GPS radio occultation payload for meteorology, and the 12 kg VELOX-II carrying a space communications relay experiment to demonstrate cubesat downlink via geostationary communications satellite. VELOX-II is a 6U cubesat - only the 4th to be launched worldwide in this new larger cubesat format. For Microsat Rapid Pte Ltd., the 3U cubesat Athenoxat-1 carrying a payload to image the night side of the Earth. For the National University of Singapore, the 78 kg Kent Ridge 1 satellite developed using the TUBSAT LEOS-50 bus by Berlin Space Technologies, a spinoff of the old TUBSAT group at Technische Universitat Berlin. KR-1 carries two low-resoluton hyperspectral Earth imagers and a 6-meter-resolution imager. A second NUS satellite is Galassia, a 2U cubesat with science payloads to measure the ionosphere and perform a quantum entanglement experiment. The satellites were deployed into a roughly 520 km orbit inclined 14 deg to the equator. In a technology development test, the PSLV 4th stage was reignited briefly to test its ability to deliver payloads to multiple orbits. It is being tracked in a 400 x 573 km x 14.7 deg orbit. Wukong ------- On Dec 17 China launched the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), given the postlaunch name Wukong ('Monkey King'). DAMPE is a Chinese Academy of Sciences particle physics experiment with a bismuth-germanium oxide calorimeter, and will study electrons, gamma rays and cosmic rays in the GeV to TeV energy range. The satellite has a mass of 1900 kg. Orbit is thought to be 500 x 500 km x 97 deg. Table of Recent Orbital Launches ---------------------------------- Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes km km deg Nov 3 1625 Zhongxing 2C Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Comms 63A S41021 195 x 35832 x 27.1 Nov 4 0345 Hiakasat ) Imaging F03 F01468 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 Argus ) Tech F03 F01469 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 PrintSat ) Super Strypi Kauai Tech F03 F01470 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 Techsat-1 ) Tech F03 F01471 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 STACEM ) Imaging F03 F01472 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 1 ) Tech F03 F01473 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 2 ) Tech F03 F01474 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 3 ) Tech F03 F01475 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 4 ) Tech F03 F01476 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 5 ) Tech F03 F01477 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 6 ) Tech F03 F01478 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 7 ) Tech F03 F01479 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 EDSN 8 ) Tech F03 F01480 -6378 x 30?x 94.7 Nov 8 0706 Yaogan 28 Chang Zheng 4B Taiyuan Imaging 64A S41026 459 x 482 x 97.2 1414LT SSO Nov 10 2134 Badr 7 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 65A S41028 264 x 35717 x 4.0 GSAT-15 ) Comms 65B S41029 259 x 35751 x 4.0 Nov 17 0634 Kosmos-2510 Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat Plesetsk LC43/4 Early Warn 66A S41032 1625 x 38551 x 63.8 Nov 20 1607 LaoSat 1 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang LC2 Comms 67A S41034 189 x 41778 x 18.4 Nov 24 0650 Telstar 12V H-IIA 204 Tanegashima Comms 68A S41036 3140 x 35637 x 19.2 Nov 26 2124 Yaogan 29 Chang Zheng 4C Taiyuan Radar 69A S41038 615 x 619 x 97.8 0430LT SSO Dec 3 0404 LISA Pathfinder Vega Kourou ZLV Astron/Tech 70A S41043 748 x124805 x 6.0 En route L1 Dec 5 1409 Kosmos-2511 ) Soyuz-2-1V Plesetsk LC43/4 Imaging 71A S41098 685 x 694 x 98.2 Kosmos-2512 ) Calibration 71B S41099 684 x 693 x 98.2 0600LT SSO Dec 6 2144 Deke Slayton II Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Cargo 72A S41101 404 x 418 x 51.6 Docked ISS Dec 9 1646 Zhongxing 1C Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Comms 73A S41103 177 x 35816 x 27.1 Dec 11 1345 Elektro-L No. 2 Zenit-3SLBF Baykonur LC45/1 Weather 74A S41105 Dec 13 0019 Kosmos-2513 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC81/24 Comms 75A S41121 401 x 35657 x 48.6 Dec 15 1103 Soyuz TMA-19M Soyuz-FG Baykonur LC1 Spaceship 76A S41124 404 x 418 x 51.6 Docked ISS Dec 16 1230 TeLEOS-1 ) Imaging 77A? VELOX-C1 ) Weather(RO) 77B? Kent Ridge 1) PSLV-CA Sriharikota LP1 Imaging 77C? VELOX-II ) Tech 77D? Galassia ) Sci/Tech 77E? Athenoxat-1 ) Imaging 77F? Dec 17 0012 Wukong Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Astron 78A S41173? Table of Recent Suborbital Launches ----------------------------------- Thanks to Thomas Schiller for updating me on some of the sounding rocket launches. The NASA 49.003UE Oriole IV flight launched from Andoya on Nov 30 did not reach its target altitude; the reason for this is not yet known. (My figure of 100 km achieved is a placeholder guess.) Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target Nov 1 0305 SRALT RV SRALT C-17, Pacific SE Wake I Target 300? Wake Island Nov 1 0307? THAAD KV THAAD Wake Island Interceptor 100? (Pacific) Nov 1 0310? eMRBM RV eMRBM C-17, Pacific SE Wake I Target 300? Wake Island Nov 1 0312? THAAD KV THAAD Wake Island Interceptor 100? (Pacific) Nov 6 1501 FOP-4 SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America, NM Microgravity 120 White Sands Nov 8 0200 USN Mk 5 RV (x14?) Trident II SSBN 737, Pt Mugu Test 1000? Kwajalein? Nov 9 0415 Agni RV Agni IV Abdul Kalam Island Test 600 Indian Ocean Nov 9 2000? USN Mk 5 RV (x14?) Trident II SSBN 737, Pt Mugu Test 1000? Kwajalein? Nov 14 RV Bulava K-551 V.Monomakh, White Sea Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Nov 14 RV Bulava K-551 V.Monomakh, White Sea Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Nov 17 1212 Topol'-E RV Topol' Kapustin Yar Reentry test 1000? Sary Shagan Nov 18 Interceptor KV Nudol' Sary Shagan? Test 200? ? Nov 21 Ghadr RV Ghadr-1 Semnan? Test 150? Arabian Sea? Nov 23 1721 New Shepard CC New Shepard West Texas Site Test 101 West Texas Site Nov 25 0417 PICTURE-B Black Brant 9 White Sands Astronomy 217 White Sands Nov 30 0725 CAPER Oriole IV Andoya, Norway Auroral 100? Andoya, Norway Dec 1 0500 MASER 13 VSB-30 Kiruna, Sweden Microgravity 270? ESRANGE B Zone, Sweden Dec 5 0445? DXL-2 Black Brant 9 White Sands X-ray Astron 224? White Sands Dec 8 CTV-02 SM-3 Block IIA San Nicolas I, Calif. Test 100? Point Mugu Sea Range Dec 10 0612 Target Silver Sparrow F-15D, Med. Sea Target 150? Intercepted Dec 10 0615 Arrow 3 KV Arrow 3 Palmachim, Israel Interceptor 150? Intercept Dec 10 FTO-O2E1a Target SRALT? C-17, Pacific Ocean Target 300? Intercepted Dec 10 Aegis KV SM-3 Block IB Kauai Interceptor 150? Intercept Dec 10 1355 PAC-3 Target Juno Ft. Wingate, NM Target 100? White Sands Dec 11 Shaheen RV Shaheen III Somniani?,Pakistan Test 500? Arabian Sea Dec 12 RV x 4? Sineva K-51, Barents Sea Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Dec 15 Shaheen RV Shaheen IA Somniani?,Pakistan Test 100? Arabian Sea .-------------------------------------------------------------------------. | Jonathan McDowell | | | Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail | | USA | twitter: @planet4589 | | | | JSR: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html | | Back issues: http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back | | Subscribe/unsub: http://www.planet4589.org/mailman/listinfo/jsr | '-------------------------------------------------------------------------'