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Jonathan's Space Report
No. 770 draft 2019 Sep 23 Somerville, MA
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JSR 769 is now permalinked at http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.769.txt
International Space Station
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Expedition 61 began at 0737 UTC on Oct 3.
On Sep 24 the 8th H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), Kounotori 8 (HTV-8), was placed in LEO by
an H-IIB vehicle from Tanegashima. It carries another set of replacement batteries for
the station truss. HTV-8 arrived at the station on Sep 28; it was grappled by Canadarm-2
at 1112 UTC and berthed on the Harmony nadir port at 1409 UTC.
On Sep 25 astronauts Oleg Skripochka (Roskosmos), Jessica Meir (NASA), and
Hazza al Mansouri (United Arab Emirates) were launched into orbit aboard Soyuz MS-15
(Soyuz spacecraft 744). The launch vehicle was Soyuz-FG No. 71, the last of the Soyuz-FG
series. Future missions will use the Soyuz-2 series rockets.
Soyuz MS-15 docked with the ISS Zvezda module at 1942 UTC Sep 25 after a 5 hour 45 min flight.
On Sep 29-Oct 1 the Canadarm-2 and the JEM RMS arm were used to move the Exposed Pallet EP-8
from HTV-8 to the Mobile Base System POA, and to move EP-7 from the POA to HTV-8.
EP-7 had been stored on the POA for the past year.
On Oct 3 at 0737 UTC Soyuz MS-12 undocked from the Rassvet module with astronauts Ovchinin,
Hague and Al Mansoori. Soyuz fired its deorbit engine at 1006 UTC; the three modules
separated at 1034 UTC, and the descent module landed near 47 24N 69 34E in Kazakhstan
at 1059 UTC.
On Oct 4 the Canadarm-2 took EP-8 off the POA again and moved it next to
the P6 truss in preparation for spacewalk operations. On Oct 6
astronauts Koch and Morgan, in roles EV-1 and EV-2 and using suits 3004 and 3008 respectively, carried
out US EVA-56. The Quest airlock was depressurized at 1132 UTC and the hatch was
opened at 1138 UTC. The astronauts then made the following transfers:
NiH battery 0087 was removed from P6 IEA 2B slot 1 at 1306 UTC and installed on EP8 Slot X at 1339 UTC.
Li-ion battery 0015 was moved from EP8 Slot A to P6 IEA 2B slot 1 from 1406 to 1422 UTC
NiH battery 0093 was moved from P6 IEA 2B slot 2 to EP8 Slot A from 1444 to 1530 UTC.
Adapter plate SN09 (?) was moved from EP8 Slot A to P6 IEA 2B slot 2 from 1522 to 1550 UTC.
NiH battery 0096 was moved from P6 IEA 2B slot 3 to slot 2, on top of the adapter plate, from 1610 to 1616 UTC.
Li-ion battery 0005 was moved from EP8 Slot B to P6 IEA 2B slot 3 from 1648 to 1716 UTC.
The astronauts then returned to the airlock with hatch closure at 1835 UTC and repressurization at 1840 UTC.
On Oct 11 US EVA-57 featured Koch and Morgan, this time swapping roles as EV-2 and EV-1.
Quest was depressurized from 1134 to 1823 UTC and the hatch was open from 1137 UTC to 1814 UTC.
During the spacewalk:
NiH battery 0099 was moved from P6 2B slot 4 to EP8 slot B from 1230 to 1312 UTC.
Adapter plate SN10? was moved from EP8 slot B to P6 2B slot 4 from 1304 to 1317 UTC.
NiH battery 0100 was moved from P6 2B slot 6 to the adapter plate in slot 4 from 1350 to 1354 UTC.
Li-ion battery SN17 was moved from EP8 slot D to P6 2B slot 6 from 1421 to 1438 UTC.
NiH battery 0097 was moved from P6 2B slot 5 to EP8 slot D from 1503 to 1550 UTC.
Adapter plate SN12 was moved from EP8 slot D to P6 2B slot 5 from 1543 to 1553 UTC.
This completed the work on P6's 2B side, with three Li-ion batteries and 3 adapter plates installed,
four NiH batteries moved to the EP for disposal and two NiH batteries stored on top of adapter plates.
Following the failure of the 2B2 battery charge/discharge unit (BCDU) on the P6 2B IEA, US EVA-58
with Koch and Meir was added to replace the BCDU with a spare from ELC-1.
Beidou
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Two Beidou-3 MEO satellites, M23/24 (DW47/48), were launched to 12-hour orbits on Sep 22.
Yunhai-1-02
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China launched the second Yunhai-1 satellite on Sep 25. The satellite carries
a GNSS radio occultation meteorology payload.
EKS No. 3
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Russia launched the third EKS (Tundra) early warning satellite on Sep 26.
The satellite is built by RKK Energia, with overall system integration by Kometa.
It was given the codename Kosmos-2541.
Gaofen 10
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The second Gaofen 10 high resolution imaging satellite was launched from Taiyuan on Oct 4
into a 0200LT node sun-synch orbit. The first GF-10 failed to reach orbit in 2016.
Tsubame
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The Tsubame (SLATS) low orbit test satellite reentered on Oct 1. Its final orbit was 133 x 147 km.
Kosmos-2535/2536
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Kosmos-2535 and 2536 continue proximity operations. In early October a new object assocated with
the launch was cataloged in a similar orbit, but following 4000 km behind the pair. If it
has not maneuvered, it was close to the pair on about Aug 3. The US satellite catalog
identifies it as debris from the Volga rocket stage, which was deorbited on launch day (Jul 10).
If the object is a payload, it may be designated Kosmos-2542.
MEV-1/Eutelsat 5WB
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International Launch Services and Khrunichev launched a Proton to supersynchronous transfer
orbit on Oct 9 and deployed two payloads built by Northrop Grumman/Dulles (formerly Orbital Sciences).
Eutelsat W5B is a television satellite for the European operator Eutelsat SA. MEV-1, the Mission
Extension Vehicle, is a Northrop Grumman experimental satellite which will rendezvous and dock with
the Intelsat 901 satellite in GEO in order to extend its operational lifetime.
ICON
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NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, ICON, was launched on Oct 11. The Northrop Grummann
L-1011 Stargazer carrier aircraft took off from Cape Canaveral's runway 31/13 (the Skid Strip)
at 0031 UTC. After an aborted drop run at 0130 UTC, the L-1011 dropped Pegasus at 29.0N 78.5W
at 0200 UTC. The three-stage solid rocket ignited after a 5 second free fall, and reached orbit 11 minutes later.
ICON has an optical interferometer, ultraviolet imagers and an ion velocity meter to study the thermosphere
and ionosphere.
Palisade
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AstroDigital's 16U technology development cubesat Palisade was launched by Electron flight 9 (mission
name As The Crow Flies) into Electron's highest orbit yet. Three objects are cataloged, two
of them in a 309 x 1200 km x 87.9 deg orbit.
Table of Recent Orbital Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
Sep 12 0326 Zi Yuan 1 02D ) Chang Zheng 4B Taiyuan Imaging 59A S44528? 748 x 758 x 98.6
Jingshi 1 ) Imaging 59B S44529? 732 x 750 x 98.6
Jinniuzuo naxing) Tech 59C S44530? 731 x 750 x 98.6
Sep 16 Seeker Chaffee, LEO Tech 22K S44533 466 x 484 x 51.6
Sep 19 0642 OVS-3 ) Chang Zheng 11 Jiuquan Imaging 60A S44534? 494 x 512 x 97.4
OHS-3A ) Imaging 60C S44536? 494 x 511 x 97.4
OHS-3B ) Imaging 60D S44537? 494 x 511 x 97.4
OHS-3C ) Imaging 60E S44538? 494 x 511 x 97.4
OHS-3D ) Imaging 60F S44539? 494 x 511 x 97.4
Sep 22 2110 Beidou DW 47) Chang Zheng 3B/YZ1 Xichang Navigation 61A S44542 21527 x 22191 x 55.0
Beidou DW 48) Navigation 61B S44543 21527 x 22191 x 55.0
Sep 24 1605 Kounotori 8 H-IIB Tanegashima Cargo 62A S44546 188 x 301 x 51.6
Sep 25 0054 Yunhai-1 02 xing Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Weather 63A S44547 767 x 780 x 98.6
Sep 25 1357 Soyuz MS-15 Soyuz-FG Baykonur LC1 Spaceship 64A S44550 195 x 215 x 51.6
Sep 26 0746 Kosmos-2541 Soyuz-2-1B/Fregat Plesetsk Early Warn 65A S44552 1640 x 38543 x 63.8
Oct 4 1851 GaoFen 10 Chang Zheng 4C Taiyuan Imaging 66A S44622 612 x 622 x 97.8
Oct 9 1017 MEV-1 ) Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur Servicing 67 S44624? 11989 x 65080 x 13.4
Eutelsat 5WB ) Comms 67 S44625? 11982 x 64871 x 13.4
Oct 11 0200 ICON Pegasus XL L1011, Canaveral Science 68A S44628 569 x 569 x 27.0
Oct 17 0122 Palisade Electron Mahia LC1 Tech 69A S44634
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
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Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target
Sep 4 USN Mk 4 RV x 4? Trident D-5 SSBN 739, WTR Test 1000? Pacific/Guam
Sep 4 USN Mk 4 RV x 4? Trident D-5 SSBN 739, WTR Test 1000? Pacific/Guam
Sep 6 USN Mk 4 RV x 4? Trident D-5 SSBN 739, WTR Test 1000? Pacific/Guam
Sep 6 USN Mk 4 RV x 4? Trident D-5 SSBN 739, WTR Test 1000? Pacific/Guam
Sep 18 0930? NASA 36.340DR Black Brant 9 Wallops I. Tech 200? Atlantic
Sep 30 1804 ESIS Black Brant 9 White Sands Solar UV 246 White Sands
Sep 30 RV Topol'-M Plesetsk Op.Test 1000? Kura
Oct 1 2211 RV Bukgeukseong-3 Wonsan? Test 950 Sea of Japan
Oct 2 0813 GT232GM Minuteman 3 Vandenberg LF10 Op.Test 1300? Kwajalein
Oct 7 1500 DUST Black Brant 9 White Sands Physics 338 White Sands
Oct 17? RV Yars Plesetsk Op.Test 1000? Kura
Oct 17? RV x 4? Sineva K-18, Barents Sea Op.Test 1000? Kura
Oct 17? RV x 3? Volna K-44, Sea of Okhotsk Op.Test 1000? Chiza
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| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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