Jonathan's Space Report No. 615 2009 Sep 10 Somerville, MA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shuttle and Station -------------------- On Aug 7 the Station SSRMS arm grappled the PMA3 docking port and removed it from the Unity module's nadir berth at around 1000 UTC. At around 1200 UTC the PMA3 was attached to Unity's port berth, leaving the nadir berth free for a new module. OV-103 Discovery was launched on Aug 29 on mission STS-128. It carries Multipurpose Logistics Module FM-1 - the MPLM 'Leonardo' - and other cargo carriers. STS-128 cargo manifest ---------------------- Name Bay location Mass (kg,guess) Orbiter Docking System 1-2 1800 with EMU 3009, 3015 suits 260? APC/SPDU 3 port 17? APC/MISSE carrier 4 port 57 APC/MISSE carrier 5 port 57 ROEU umbilical 7 starboard 79? Leonardo (MPLM FM-1) 7-12 12131 Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) 13 1780 RMS Sill 410 OBSS Sill 382? ----------------------------------------------------- Total 16973 Discovery docked with Station at 0054 UTC on Aug 31 and undocked at 1926 UTC on Sep 8. During the mission, the Leonardo module was attached to the nadir port on the Harmony node (from Aug 31 2135 to Sep 8 0001) and experiments and equipment were transferred to the Station from it, including the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), a crew quarters rack, materials science and fluids experiment racks, and a freezer system. During three spacewalks the EUTEF and MISSE 6 experiments were retrieved from Columbus, an ammonia tank assembly (ATA) was replaced on the P1 truss, and the S3 payload attach system was deployed. Cables were laid along the station in preparation for activating the Tranquility node when it arrives, although one cable could not be properly connected. Spacewalk details were as follows: EMUs Depr. H.Open OnBat H.Close Repress EVA-1 Olivas, Stott 3015,3005 Sep 1 2144? 2148 2149 Sep 2 0419 0424 EVA-2 Olivas, Fuglesang 3015,3009 Sep 3 2204? 2209 2212 Sep 4 0445 0451 EVA-3 Olivas, Fuglesang 3015,3009 Sep 5 2035? 2038 2039 Sep 6 0334 0340 EMU 3005 will be returned to Earth aboard Discovery (it was launched on STS-126); EMU 3009 replaces it on the Station. A small object was released from the payload bay at some point during EVA-3; Discovery made an orbit adjust burn on Sep 10 to avoid it. The object was cataloged as 1998-067BV. Another small object floated out of the payload bay on Sep 9; it has not been cataloged. The Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle, HTV-1, was launched on Sep 10. STSAT-2/Naro-1 -------------- The first launch of South Korea's KSLV-1 'Naro' rocket ended in failure with the reentry of the STSAT-2 satellite payload over the Pacific. Early reports suggest that the Russian-built Angara first stage operated correctly, and the Korean solid-motor second stage also fired, but half of the payload fairing failed to separate. STSAT-2 reached 387 km in altitude, but the extra mass of the fairing prevented the system from reaching orbital velocity. The orbit was around -3100 x 387 km x 80 deg, and reentry was probably somewhere over New Guinea. Asiasat 5 --------- An ILS/Khrunichev Proton-M launched the Loral-1300-class Asiasat 5 satellite on Aug 11. Asiasat 5 is owned by Asiasat, a Hong Kong based company, and provides C-band and Ku-band communications services. GPS 50 ------ The final Block IIR-M Global Positioning System satellite, space vehicle number SVN 50, was launched from Cape Canaveral on Aug 17. It is the 21st IIR launch, and will replace a Block IIA series satellite. The Delta II launch vehicle passed through intermediate orbits of 174 x 206 km x 37.5 deg and 191 x 1241 km x 38.0 deg to reach a (planned) 188 x 20256 km x 40.1 deg transfer orbit. GPS SVN 50 will fire its ATK Star 37 solid apogee motor to circularize the orbit at 20000 x 20000 km x 55 deg. Block IIR satellites were built by Lockheed Martin at its Valley Forge, Pennsylvania site near Philadelphia. The factory opened in 1961 as General Electric's Missiles and Space Division to build the Nimbus weather satellites and possibly the Orbital Control Vehicles for the KH-7 spy satellites (although one knowledgeable correspondent disagrees with this last statement). Does anyone know if GE's "King of Prussia" plant was the same as the Valley Forge one, or a separate one nearby? (The two towns are next to each other). IRVE-II ------- The second Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment, IRVE-II/NASA 36.254NR, was launched from Wallops Island on a Black Brant IX on Aug 17. It deployed an experimental 3-meter diameter inflatable heat shield; the spacecraft survived reentry but was not designed to be recovered, and fell in the Atlantic. A smaller precursor, IRVE-I/NASA 41.055NP, was launched on a Terrier Orion in 2007. PAN --- United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas V 401, mission AV-018, from Cape Canaveral on Sep 8. It carried the PAN communications satllite to a 13544 x 35400 km x 23.1 deg geostationary transfer orbit. PAN/P360 is a Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite described as being for 'a US Government customer'. It seems that LM operates the satellite on behalf of the unidentified agency. The satellite has been given the US government designation USA 207, used for secret government-owned satellites, so it is probably not a contractor-owned leased-capacilty system like the Hughes Leasat satellites operated for the Navy in the 1980s (which did not get USA numbers). As first reported by spaceflightnow.com's Justin Ray, Ted Molczan suggests that PAN may be a satellite providing services for the CIA replacing channels hosted on the US Navy's UHF/EHF communications network, to bridge the gap between the old UHF Follow-On series and the planned MUOS system, and Greg Roberts has tracked a beacon signal from the satellite on a frequency used by the UHF Follow-On satellites. Palapa D -------- Indosat's Palapa D satellite was launched by a Chinese Chang Zheng 3B rocket on Aug 31. The CZ-3B reached a low parking orbit, and the third stage reignited for a second burn towards geostationary transfer orbit. However, the engine shut down early leaving the Palapa D in a 217 x 21138 km x 22.4 deg orbit. The satellite on Sep 2 used its own on-board propulsion to reach the correct 216 x 35687 km x 22.2 deg transfer orbit; this maneuver will however reduce its operational life. By Sep 8 the satellite orbit was 9616 x 35670 km x 7.8 deg. Indonesia has one of the developing world's more extensive satellite fleets. The early Palapa satellites were owned and operated by Indonesia's state telecom agency Perumtel, later Telkom. In 1996 a privatization move put the Palapa satellites in the hands of the Satelindo company, and in 2003 that company was absorbed by Indosat. Meanwhile, Telkom operates a new series of satellites (Telkom 1 and 2); Media Citra Indostar and Paskifik Satelite Nusantara (with its ACeS joint venture) also operate telecom satellites, and the LAPAN space agency launches sounding rockets and operates the LAPAN-TUBSAT low orbit satellite built with German assistance. Indonesian satellites: Satellite Model Operated Palapa A1 Hughes HS-333 1976-1986 Palapa A2 Hughes HS-333 1976-1986? Palapa B1 Hughes HS-376 1983-1995 Palapa B2 Hughes HS-376 1984 wrong orbit, recovered by Shuttle Palapa B2P Hughes HS-376 1987-1996 Sold to Mabuhay 1996 Palapa B2R Hughes HS-376 1990-2001 refurbished, relaunched B2 Sold to Newsat 2001 Palapa B4 Hughes HS-376 1992-2005 Palapa C1 Hughes HS-601 1996-1999 Sold to HGS 1999 Palapa C2 Hughes HS-601 1996- At 113.0E Indostar 1 Orbital Star 1 1997- At 107.5E Telkom 1 LM A2100 1999- At 108.0E ACES Garuda 1 LM A2100AXX 2000- At 123.0E Telkom 2 Orbital Star 2 2005- At 118.0E LAPAN TUBSAT TUB 2007- In 618 x 638 km x 97.8 deg orbit Palapa D Thales SB4000B3 2009- wrong orbit Table of Recent (orbital) Launches ---------------------------------- Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. DES. Jul 1 1752 Terrestar 1 Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 35A Jul 6 0126 Kosmos-2451 ) Rokot Plesetsk LC133? Comms 36A Kosmos-2452 ) 36B Kosmos-2453 ) 36C Jul 14 0336 Razaksat Falcon 1 Omelek I. Imaging 37A Jul 15 2203 Endeavour STS-127 ) Space Shuttle Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 38A Kibo Exposed Facil) Jul 21 0357 Kosmos-2454 ) Kosmos-3M Plesetsk LC132/1 Nav/Com? 39A Sterkh No. 1) SAR 39B Jul 24 1056 Progress M-67 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1/5 Cargo 40A Jul 29 1846 Dubaisat-1 ) Dnepr Baykonur LC109 Imaging 41B Deimos 1 ) Imaging 41A UK-DMC 2 ) Imaging 41C Nanosat-1B ) Tech 41E AprizeSat 3) Comms 41F AprizeSat 4) Comms 41D Jul 30 1234 DRAGONSAT (BEVO-1/Aggiesat-2) OV-105, LEO Tech 38B Jul 30 1723 ANDE Active (Castor) OV-105, LEO Science 38F ANDE Passive(Pollux) Science 38E Aug 11 1947 Asiasat 5 Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC39/200 Comms 42A Aug 17 1035 GPS 50 Delta 7925 Canaveral SLC17A Nav 43A Aug 21 2209 JCSAT 12 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 44A Optus D3 ) Comms 44B Aug 25 0800 STSAT-2 Naro KSLV-1 Naro Tech F03 Aug 29 0400 Discovery STS-128) Space Shuttle Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 45A Leonardo ) Aug 31 0928 Palapa D CZ-3B Xichang LC2 Comms 46A Sep 8 2135 USA 207 (PAN) Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Comms 47A Sep 10 1701 HTV H-IIB Tanegashima Y2 Cargo 48A Table of Recent (suborbital) Launches ---------------------------------- Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Jul 13 0120 RV (x 10?) Sineva K-84, N Pole Test 1000? Jul 13 2350 RV (x 10?) Sineva K-117, N Pole Test 1000? Jul 22 1945 Arrow Target LRALT? C-17, Pacific Target 500? Jul 31 0340 Aegis Target Unknown Kauai Target 160? Jul 31 0342 Aegis FTM-17 KV SM-3 DDG-70, Pacific Interceptor 160 Jul 31 0400? Aegis Target Unknown Kauai Target 160? Aug 11 0450 MARTI Black Brant IX San Nicolas Target 150? Aug 17 1152 IRVE Support Viper 3A Wallops Weather 90? Aug 17 1252 NASA 36.254NR Black Brant IX Wallops Reentry test 210 Aug 23 1601 Mk 21 RV? GT195 Minuteman 3 Vandenberg Op. Test 1300? .-------------------------------------------------------------------------. | Jonathan McDowell | phone : (617) 495-7176 | | Somerville MA 02143 | inter : jcm@host.planet4589.org | | USA | jcm@cfa.harvard.edu | | | | JSR: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html | | Back issues: http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back | | Subscribe/unsub: mail majordomo@host.planet4589.org, (un)subscribe jsr | '-------------------------------------------------------------------------'