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Jonathan's Space Report
No. 763 draft 2019 Mar 9 Somerville, MA
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JSR 762 is now permalinked at http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.762.txt
International Space Station
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Soyuz MS-12 was launched on Mar 14 carrying Aleksey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and Christina
Koch. It docked with the Rassvet module at 0101:43 UTC Mar 15, beginning ISS Expedition 59.
Progress MS-10 made a 0.7m/s burn to adjust the ISS orbit at 1422 UTC Mar 23.
The new Li-ion batteries delivered by HTV-7 last September on the External Pallet EP7 are finally being installed
in a mixture of robotic (SSRMS/Dextre SPDM) operations and manual work on spacewalks.
EP7 is stored on the POA location on the Mobile Base System.
Here is the chronology of activities:
Mar 19 SPDM move NiH battery 0070 from P4 truss IEA 4A slot 3 to Dextre's EOTP3 stowage point.
SPDM move NiH battery 0073 from P4 4A slot 1 to EP7 slot X for disposal
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0006 from EP7 slot C to P4 4A slot 3
Mar 20 SPDM move NiH battery 0074 from P4 4A slot 5 to EP7 slot Z for disposal
SPDM move NiH battery 0069 from P4 4A slot 6 to EP7 slot Y for disposal
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0010 from EP7 slot B to P4 4A slot 5
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0008 from EP7 slot A to P4 4A slot 1
Mar 22 1155? Quest airlock depress, Anne McClain EV1 in EMU 3008, SAFER 13
Nick Hague EV2 in EMU 3003, SAFER 15
1158 Hatch open
1351-1410 Hague move adapter plate 0005 from EP7 slot A to P4 4A slot 6
1355-1452 McClain move adapter plate 0006 from EP7 slot B to P4 4A slot 4
1430-1442 Move NiH battery 0072 from P4 4A slot 4 to adapter 0005 on slot 6
1513-1526 Move NiH battery 0071 from P4 4A slot 2 to adapter 0006 on slot 4
1623-1648 Move adapter plate 0007 from EP7 slot C to P4 4A slot 2
1836 Hatch closed
1840 Repressurized
Mar 26 SPDM move NiH battery 0065 from P4 2A slot 1 to EP7 slot B for disposal
SPDM move NiH battery 0066 from P4 2A slot 3 to EP7 slot A for disposal
Mar 27 SPDM move NiH battery 0068 from P4 2A slot 5 to the Dextre EOTP
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0003 from EP7 slot D to P4 2A slot 1
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0019 from EP7 slot E to P4 2A slot 5
SPDM move Li-ion battery 0018 from EP7 slot F to P4 2A slot 3
Mar 28 SPDM move NiH battery 0067 from P4 2A slot 2 to the Dextre EOTP
SPDM move NiH battery 0064 from P4 2A slot 4 to P4 A2 slot 2?
SPDM move NiH battery 0069 from P4 2A slot 6 to EP7 slot C? for disposal
S5
--
The US Air Force Research Lab's S5 satellite appears to have separated from its
Nusantara Satu host satellite at about 1800 UTC on Mar 4. Part of the Beresheet probe's
adapter structure was jettisoned in the `GEO graveyard' first to allow S5 to emerge.
Orbits of the three GEO objects on Mar 8 were:
44048 Nusantara Satu 35779 x 35791 km x 0.1 deg GEO 145.9E
44065 S5 36053 x 36055 km x 0.1 deg GEO 139.3E+3.3deg W/day
44066 Beresheet adapter 36131 x 36170 km x 0.1 deg GEO 133.2E+4.6deg W/day
ZX-6C
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China launched the Zhongxing-6C satellite from Xichang on Mar 9. ZX-6C is a C-band
communications satellite using the DFH-4 bus. By Mar 19 the satellite was
on station in GEO at 129.9E.
WGS-10
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The US Air Force communications satellite Wideband Global Satcom 10 was launched
on Mar 16 by a Delta 4 Medium from Cape Canaveral into a supersynchronous transfer
orbit. The Boeing-built spacecraft carries X- and Ka-band communications payloads
and has both bipropellant and electric propulsion systems.
The orbital data for WGS satellites were declassified last year; it's nice to
see public TLE data flowing for the new satellite. By Mar 22 it was in
a 13246 x 45069 km x 5.3 deg orbit.
PRISMA
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The Italian Space Agency's PRISMA imaging satellite was launched by an
Arianespace Vega on Mar 22. Its 0.21m aperture telescope has a
hyperspectral detector with high spectral resolution near infrared and
visible imaging.
Beresheet
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The SpaceIL Beresheet probe (I'm told "B'reshit" is a better transliteration from the Hebrew)
has made a further orbit raising burn for translunar injection. The 60 second perigee burn
at 1230 UTC Mar 19 raised apogee beyond the Moon to 405 000 km.
Kicksat-2
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The Kicksat-2 cubesat, developed by Zac Manchester (Stanford U.) and
funded on Kickstarter, deployed at least some of its circa 104 Sprite
chipsats on Mar 19 at 0340 UTC, as the satellite orbited over the
eastern Pacific southwest of California. Cees Bassa detected radio
signals from some of the Sprites. There are no US satellite catalog
entries for them. Their area-to-mass ratio is rather high, so they are
strongly affected by drag, and Manchester reports that they are expected
to have reentered within a few days.
Microsat-R
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On Mar 27 India's Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) launched the first PDV Mk II
antisatellite interceptor from Kalam Island. After a three minute flight the missile collided
with the 740 kg Microsat-R satellite in LEO. Microsat-R was in a 260 x 282 km x 96.6 deg orbit
at the time, travelling north over the Bay of Bengal; PDV-II flew south from Orissa to intercept
it. PDV-II is reported to be a three stage vehicle - two solid boost stages and a kill vehicle
with liquid-propellant terminal guidance thrusters.
Erratum
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In JSR 760 I said that Progress MS-10 did a reboost on Dec 2; this should have read Dec 27
(with further reboosts Jan 18 and Feb 26).
Table of Recent Orbital Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
Feb 1? SeeMe? EXCITE, LEO Imaging 99BS S43822 571 x 594 x 97.8 1017LT SSO
Feb 5 Dousti Safir Semnan Imaging F02 F01533 -6000?x 10?x 55.0
Feb 5 2101 Saudi Geosat 1 ) Ariane 5ECA Kourou ELA3 Comms 07A S44034 242 x 35770 x 3.0
GSAT-31 ) Comms 07B S44035 245 x 35841 x 3.0
Feb 9 0000 Quantum Radar 1 ) Cygnus NG10,LEO Tech 18092C S44041 455 x 459 x 51.6
Quantum Radar 2 ) Tech 18092D S44042 457 x 457 x 51.6
Feb 13 1200 MySat-1 ) Cygnus NG10,LEO Tech 18092E S44044? 455 x 471 x 51.6
CHEFSAT-2 ) Tech 18092F S44045? 455 x 471 x 51.6
Feb 13 2245 Kicksat-2 Cygnus NG10,LEO Tech 18092G S44046 297 x 306 x 51.6
Feb 21 1647 EgyptSat-A Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat Baykonur LC31 Imaging 08A S44047 652 x 656 x 98.0 0950LT SSO
Feb 22 0145 Nusantara Satu ) Falcon 9 Canaveral SLC40 Comms 09A S44048 35779 x 35791 x 0.1
Beresheet ) Lunar probe 09B S44049 242 x 68845 x 27.6
Feb 27 2137 OneWeb-0006 ) Soyuz ST-B/Fregat CSG ELS Comms 10E S44061 984 x 1007 x 87.8
OneWeb-0007 ) Comms 10D S44060 984 x 1007 x 87.8
OneWeb-0008 ) Comms 10C S44059 985 x 1009 x 87.8
OneWeb-0010 ) Comms 10B S44058 986 x 1010 x 87.8
OneWeb-0011 ) Comms 10F S44062 987 x 1005 x 87.8
OneWeb-0012 ) Comms 10A S44057 985 x 1010 x 87.8
Mar 2 0749 Crew Dragon DM-1 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 11A S44063 235 x 351 x 51.6
Mar 4 1800? S5 Nus.Satu, GEO Imaging 09D? S44065? 36043 x 36055 x 1.0
Mar 9 1628 Zhongxing 6C Chang Zheng 3B Xichang LC3 Comms 12A S44067 181 x 40603 x 24.6
Mar 14 1914 Soyuz MS-12 Soyuz-FG Baykonur LC1 Spaceship 13A S44069 406 x 411 x 51.6 Docked ISS
Mar 16 0026 WGS 10 Delta 4M+(5,4) Canaveral SLC37B Comms 14A S44071 462 x 44261 x 27.0
Mar 19 0340 Sprite (00,01) ] Kicksat-2, LEO Tech 18092H 251 x 261 x 51.6
Sprite (02,03) ] Tech 18092J 251 x 261 x 51.6
.... ] [104 satellites]
Sprite (206,207)] Tech 18092DQ 251 x 261 x 51.6
Mar 22 0150 PRISMA Vega CSG ELV Imaging 15A S44072 617 x 620 x 97.9 1030LT SSO
Mar 27 0939? Linqgue 1A OS-M1 Jiuquan Tech F03 F01537 -6300?x 10?x 98?
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
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Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target
Feb 6 0701 Mk 21 RV/FTU-1 Minuteman 3 Vandenberg Test 1300? Pacific Ocean
Feb 6 0831 Yars RV Yars Plesetsk Test 1300? Kura
Feb 22 1654 VSS Unity VF-01 Spaceship Two Kelso Valley Test 89.9 Mojave
Mar 11 0920 REXUS 25 Imp. Orion Kiruna Micrograv 82 ESRANGE
Mar 19 0940 REXUS 26 Imp. Orion Kiruna Micrograv 80 ESRANGE
Mar 25 1720? FTG-11 Target ICBM-T2? Kwajalein Target 1000? Pacific Ocean
Mar 25 1730? FTG-11 KV 1 GBI Vandenberg LF23? Interceptor 1000? Intercept
Mar 25 1730? FTG-11 KV 2 GBI Vandenberg LF05? Interceptor 1000? Intercept
Mar 27 0540 Mission Shakhti PDV-II Kalam Island ASAT 270? Intercept
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| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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