Jonathan's Space Report No. 719 2015 Nov 28 Somerville, MA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Station --------------------------- Expedition 45 is underway under the command of Scott Kelly, with flight engineers Mikhail Kornienko, Oleg Kononenko, Sergey Volkov, Kimiya Yui, and Kjell Lindgren. Progress M-29M carried out a reboost of the station on Nov 25 (delta-V 1.9m/s, burn duration 15m33s) raising the apogee by 6 km to an orbit of 397 x 411 km. ISS mass is 410972 kg (including 26600 kg of visiting vehicles). WT1190F ------- WT1190F reentered over Sri Lanka at 0618 UTC Nov 13 as predicted. The entry was observed by a team led by the Astronomy Center of Abu Dhabi, UAE, flying in a Gulfstream jet. Observers on the ground reported hearing a `boom' which may have been related to the entry. I remain of the opinion that WT1190F was probably either the LP TLI stage (A06033) or Nozomi's KM-V1 stage (S25388). Kosmos-2510 ------------ The first EKS early warning satellite, Kosmos-2510, was launched on Nov 18 into a Molniya orbit. The satellite, developed by Energiya and Kometa, replaces the defunct Lavochkin/Kometa 'Oko' system. Laosat 1 -------- China launched a CZ-3B rocket on Nov 20 carrying LaoSat-1, a Chinese-built DFH-3B communications satellite for Laos. LaoSat-1 is owned by Lao Satellite Joint Venture Co, a collab between China APMT Co. and the Lao National Authority for Science and Tech. LaoSat-1 was cataloged as 41034 in a 189 x 41778 km x 18.4 deg geotransfer orbit. Onboard liquid thruster will raise orbit to GEO at 128.5 deg E Telstar 12V ------------ Telesat of Canada's Telstar 12 Vantage comms satellite launched to geotransfer orbit Nov 24 in the first commercial launch of Japan's H-IIA rocket and the first use of an uprated LOX/LH2 upper stage modified for a long coast to a third burn at geotransfer apogee. The stage venting was visible to observers in the USA. Telstar 12 Vantage replaces Telstar 12 and provides Ku-band capacity to the Americas. Yaogan 29 --------- China launched a new Yaogan satellite on Nov 26. The orbit is very similar to that of the Yaogan 1, 3 and 10 satellites though to be radar imaging vehicles developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Technology (SAST). Hayabusa-2 ---------- A fleet of Japanese spacecraft is approaching the Earth after a year in solar orbit. The Hayabusa-2 asteroid probe has completed one orbit of the Sun and will make an Earth flyby on Dec 3 to boost its orbit closer to that of the target minor planet Ryugu. Hayabusa-2 enters the Earth's Hill sphere on Nov 29. The 3100 km Earth flyby will change its solar orbit from 0.91 x 1.09 AU to 0.95 x 1.30 AU. The DESPATCH, Shin'en-2 and PROCYON spacecraft launched with Hayabusa-2 are also passing close to the Earth in the same timeframe, but they will not enter the Earth's gravitational sphere of influence. Perigee Date Distance Events PROCYON Dec 3 2.7 million km Hayabusa-2 Dec 3 1007 3100 km Enter Hill sphere Nov 29 2000 Inside Moon's orbit Dec 2 1200 Outside Moon's orbit Dec 4 0800 Leave Hill sphere Dec 7 0000 Shin'en-2 Dec 4 1027 5.7 million km DESPATCH Dec 4 5.8 million km H2A 2nd Stage Dec ? Unknown orbit Table of Recent Orbital Launches ---------------------------------- Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes km km deg Oct 16 1616 Apstar 9 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Comms 59A S40982 190 x 41767 x 27.2 Oct 16 2040 Turksat 4B Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur Comms 60A S40984 35717 x 35759 x 0.0 Oct 26 0710 Tianhui 1-03 Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Imaging 61A S40988 490 x 500 x 97.4 1330LT SSO Oct 31 1613 GPS SVN 73 Atlas V 401 Canaveral SLC41 Navigation 62A S41019 20426 x 20485 x 55.0 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 Table of Recent Suborbital Launches ----------------------------------- The US Navy launched Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles from the submarine USS Kentucky on Nov 8 and 9. The missiles were launched from near San Clemente Island off the coast of California and flew to Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific. The first missile was launched just after local sunset and its expanding exhaust gases were illuminated by the sun, causing widespread UFO reports across the southwestern United States. The 2-dimensional projection on the sky of the missile's westward motion, as seen from the mostly southwest-facing southern California coast, fooled many observers into thinking the missile was flying north along the coast. California observers were also able to see the deployments of the MIRV reentry vehicles as the vehicle's final stage approached the horizon. On Oct 20 a US Navy missile defense test was carried out in the Hebrides Range in Scotland. The target Terrier Orion rocket launched from the island of South Uist was the first exoatmospheric rocket launch from UK territory since 1982. On Nov 9 India tested an Agni IV missile from its long range military missile test site near Chandipur. The IC4 complex is on Inner Wheeler Island, which has recently been renamed Abdul Kalam Island after Indian missile/space developer and former President Abdul Kalam (1931-2015). Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle carried its prototype crew capsule to 100.5 km altitude, the booster reaching 100.4 km. The booster was recovered in a controlled vertical rocket landing, the first such successful landing on the Earth's surface following an exoatmospheric flight. The crew capsule landed nearby on a parachute. Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target Oct 19 1409 O-STATES 2 S31/Orion Kiruna, Sweden Atmosphere 244 ESRANGE Area B, Sweden Oct 20 Aegis Target Terrier Orion South Uist, Hebrides Target 100? N Atlantic Oct 20 Aegis KV SM-3 DDG-71, Hebrides Range Interceptor 100? (N Atlantic) Oct 21 1245 GT216GM RV Minuteman 3 Vandenberg LF04 Training 1300? Kwajalein, Marshall Is. Oct 28 1130 4 RVs Yars Plesetsk Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Oct 30 Topol RV Topol Plesetsk Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Oct 30 R-29RM RV x 4? Sineva K-117 Bryansk, Barents Sea Test 1000? Kura, Kamchatka Oct 30 R-29 RV x 4? Volna K-223 Podolsk,Sea of Okhotsk Test 1000? Chizha?, Kanin Penisula Oct 31 2300? Target B-611? Jiuquan, China Target 100? Korla Oct 31 2300? Interceptor DF-21? Korla/Urumqi, China Interceptor 100 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? eMBRM 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 2000? 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 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 23 1721 New Shepard CC New Shepard West Texas Site Test 101 West Texas Site .-------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 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 | '-------------------------------------------------------------------------'