North Carolina VIPER 800 MHz Statewide TRS

Here are some updated facts regarding the NC statewide 800 MHz TRS according to the September 2010 VIPER Newsletter.

• 239 total sites planned for statewide coverage: 153 sites constructed and on-the-air; 61 sites are fully funded and under construction; and 25 sites UNFUNDED.
• VIPER is 64% complete (number of sites) with 153 sites on-the-air
• VIPER infrastructure is 64% funded
• VIPER infrastructure remains to be 36% funded
• 49,800 Users are currently on the VIPER Network
• 214 Emergency Responding agencies makeup the 49,800 users
• SC has the same type Interoperable System; NC/SC can talk to each other using the same type user device.

Sites that have been activated to date:

Site County Site
1 Alamance Altamahaw
2 Alamance Cane Mtn
3 Alleghany Green Mt
4 Anson Wadesboro
5 Avery Linville
6 Beaufort Bath
7 Beaufort Chocowinity
8 Bertie Windsor
9 Bladen Elizabethtown
10 Brunswick Pea Landing
11 Brunswick Supply
12 Buncombe High Windy
13 Buncombe Meadows
14 Burke High Peak Mtn
15 Cabarrus Concord
16 Caldwell Butte Mountain
17 Caldwell Hi Britten Mtn
18 Camden South Mills
19 Carteret Newport
20 Carteret Laurel Road
21 Carteret Stacy
22 Carteret Kuhns PE
23 Caswell Yanceyville
24 Catawba Baker Mt Twr
25 Catawba River Bend
26 Chatham Chatham
27 Chatham Siler City
28 Cherokee Wine Springs
29 Cherokee Joanna Bald
30 Chowan Valhalla
31 Cleveland Shelby
32 Cleveland Boiling Springs
33 Cleveland Bens Knob
34 Cleveland Kings Mtn
35 Columbus Delco
36 Columbus Whiteville - TWC
37 Craven New Bern PE
38 Cumberland Cedar Creek
39 Cumberland Slocomb
40 Cumberland Fayetteville-TWC
41 Currituck Barco
42 Dare East Lake
43 Dare Bodie Island
44 Dare Rodanthe
45 Dare Kitty Hawk
46 Dare Buxton (US Cellular)
47 Davie Mocksville
48 Duplin Kenansville
49 Duplin Kornegay PE
50 Duplin Wallace PE
51 Duplin Chinquapin
52 Durham Camden Ave
53 Durham Cole Mill Rd
54 Edgecombe Tarboro
55 Edgecombe Dodge City
56 Franklin Margaret
57 Franklin Youngsville
58 Franklin Hosley Forest
59 Gaston Cherryville
60 Gaston Belmont
61 Gates Gatesville
62 Granville Butner
63 Granville Oxford BiCom
64 Granville Bullock
65 Granville Oak Hill
66 Granville Berea
67 Granville Oxford Water Tank
68 Greene Farmville
69 Greensboro A&T Univ.
70 Halifax Brinkleyville
71 Halifax Halifax
72 Harnett Cokesbury
73 Harnett Erwin PE
74 Harnett Spout Springs
75 Hertford Ahoskie
76 Hoke McCain
77 Hyde Ponzor
78 Hyde Rose Bay
79 Hyde Engelhard
80 Hyde Ocracoke
81 Iredell Mooresville
82 Iredell Barium Springs
83 Johnston Archers Lodge
84 Johnston Smithfield
85 Lee Tramway
86 Lenoir Seven Springs
87 Lenoir Kinston
88 Lincoln Anderson Mt
89 Macon Cowee Bald
90 Madison Big Knob
91 Martin Williamston
92 McDowell Grants Mtn
93 Mecklenburg Pineville
94 Mecklenburg - UASI Heathway
95 Mecklenburg - UASI Huntersville
96 Montgomery Buck Mountain
97 Montgomery Mt. Gilead
98 Moore Carthage
99 Nash Rocky Mount
100 New Hanover Wilmington
101 New Hanover Carolina Beach
102 Northampton Odom
103 Onslow Jacksonville
104 Onslow Holly Ridge
105 Orange Hillsborough
106 Orange Chapel Hill
107 Orange Laws
108 Pamlico Bayboro
109 Pasquotank Elizabeth City
110 Pender Penderlea
111 Pender Burgaw (NC53 East)
112 Perquimans Winfall
113 Pitt Greenville
114 Randolph Shepherd
115 Randolph Cole Ridge AAA
116 Richmond Ellerbe
117 Richmond Rockingham NCDOT
118 Robeson St Pauls
119 Robeson Proctorville
120 Rockingham Reidsville
121 Rockingham Wentworth
122 Rockingham Eden
123 Rockingham Mayodan
124 Rowan Faith
125 Rowan Salisbury
126 Sampson Newton Grove
127 Sampson Salemburg
128 Sampson Taylor's Bridge
129 Scotland Laurinburg
130 Stanly Albemarle
131 Stokes Sauratown
132 Stokes Booth Mt
133 Stokes Sandy Ridge
134 Surry Turner Mt
135 Surry Chestnut Ridge
136 Surry Elkin DOT
137 Surry Fisher's Peak
138 Transylvania Brevard
139 Tyrell Columbia
140 Union Monroe
141 Union Waxhaw
142 Union Wingate
143 Wake Wake County Simulcast
144 Wake Wake Forest
145 Wake Fuquay
146 Warren Manson
147 Washington Plymouth
148 Wayne Lee Plant PE
149 Wayne Goldsboro
150 Wilkes Pores Knob
151 Wilson Bailey
152 Wilson Wilson
153 Yancey Clingmans Peak

Up-Coming Site Activations through Q4:
• McFarland – Anson Co. Early 4th Quarter 2010 (October)
• Clemmons – Forsyth Co. 4th Quarter 2010
• Comfort – Jones Co. 4th Quarter 2010
• Riverdale – Guilford Co. 4th Quarter 2010
• Longarm Mountain – Haywood Co. 1st Quarter 2011
• Louisburg – Franklin Co. 1st Quarter 2011
• Margaretsville – Northampton Co. Changed to Old Mill 1st Quarter 2011
• Fain Mountain – Cherokee Co. 1st Quarter 2011
• Pisgah – Haywood Co. 2nd Quarter 2011

I will have more upcoming soon on this blog regarding the VIPER System.

Free FAA Digital Aero Charts Available Online

If you are into aeronautical monitoring, especially on the HF bands monitoring MWARA comms, then you will want to checkout the free digital chart downloads on the FAA website at http://aeronav.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications.

You can get Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific Enroute charts in PDF format that will show reporting waypoints you can use to pinpoint the flights you are monitoring if you are into flight following.

Here is a list of goodies you will find on this page for download:

Sectional Raster Charts
VFR Terminal Area Raster Charts
World Raster Charts
Helicopter Route Raster Charts
IFR Enroute Charts
Caribbean, Atlantic & Pacific Enroute Charts
Gulf of Mexico Charts
Digital Aeronautical Chart Supplement
Digital Obstacle File
Navaid Digital Data File
Geodetic Calculations (Compsys 21)
Aeronautical Chart User's Guide
VFR Chart Update Bulletins
Digital Aeronautical Chart Supplement Change Notice

This is some pretty good stuff and the best part is this is a free service. have fun and good hunting.

Launch Notification: Soyuz-TMA 01M

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 7, 2311 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz-U
International Designator(s): 2010-052A

SSC Name Owner
37183 SOYUZ-TMA 01M CIS

"An upgraded Soyuz spacecraft carrying veteran shuttle astronaut Scott Kelly, Soyuz commander Alexander Kaleri and flight engineer Oleg Skripochka blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late Thursday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station.

"Under a dark, pre-dawn sky, the launcher's main engines roared to life on time and the Soyuz rocket, trailing a sky-lighting plume of fiery exhaust, climbed away at 7:10:55 p.m. EDT (23:10:55 GMT)."

"Eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the upgraded Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft slipped into its planned preliminary orbit. Moments later, its two solar panels and antennas unfolded and Russian flight controllers said the spacecraft was in good shape as it set off after the International Space Station.

"If all goes well, Kaleri will oversee an automated docking at the upward-facing port of the Russian Poisk compartment atop the station's Zvezda command module around 8:02 p.m. Saturday (00:02 GMT Sunday)."

"The Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft features a variety of avionics and computer upgrades that are being flown for the first time. It was not immediately known if the unspecified issues referred to by Solovyov involved any of the new equipment."

"Kaleri, Kelly and Skripochka will join Expedition 25 commander Douglas Wheelock, Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin aboard the station, boosting the lab's crew size back to six. Wheelock, Walker and Yurchikhin are scheduled to depart at the end of November."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Three men launched into space for half-year voyage"

Kodiak rocket launch next week will carry 7 satellites to orbit

The Kodiak Launch Complex is scheduled to see its second orbital mission take off next Friday afternoon when a Minotaur 4 rocket loaded with seven satellites is launched, reports Space Flight Now.

The launch customer is the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program, a unit devoted to demonstrating enabling technologies that could be incorporated on more costly and critical spacecraft in the future. ...

"On this single rocket, we will launch seven satellites carrying 16 science and technology experiments from the Air Force, Army, Navy, NASA and the National Science Foundation," said Air Force Col. Carol Welsch, director of the Space Test Program.

The Minotaur 4 rocket is scheduled for blastoff in a 90-minute launch window opening at 8:24 p.m. EST (4:24 p.m. Alaska time) next Friday, or 0124 GMT on Nov. 20.

The Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a group of satellites in a launch opportunity sponsored by the Air Force's Space Test Program. The payloads include the Air Force's STPSat 2 satellite, NASA's FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite), two FASTRAC spacecraft from the University of Texas, the Air Force Academy's FalconSat 5 satellite, NASA's O/OREOS and NanoSail-D CubeSat missions and the RAX CubeSat for the University of Michigan.

More as we get closer to launch.

Launch Notification: COSMO-SKYMED 4

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 November 6, 0220 UTC
Site: Air Force Western Test Range, California, USA
Launcher: Delta II
International Designator(s): 2010-060A

SSC Name Owner
37216 COSMO-SKYMED 4 IT

"There was a sentimental blastoff from California on Friday night as the venerable Delta 2 made its one-and-only flight of the year, chalking up a major milestone for the rocket family's lasting legacy while also finishing deployment of Italy's radar satellite quartet that images the world for peace and security.

"Launching at 7:20 p.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the space booster that has defined dependability for two decades successfully shot the COSMO-SkyMed 4 craft into orbit."

"The purpose of Friday's launch was hauling the COSMO-SkyMed 4 satellite into its desired orbital perch, joining three sister-craft deployed by previous Delta 2 rockets in 2007 and 2008.

"It is Italy's home-grown Earth observing system, a constellation of radar satellites built for civil and military reconnaissance in a flagship program carrying a 1 billion euro price tag.

"Developed by Thales Alenia Space Italia for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, the COSMO-SkyMed system is the country's largest space project.

"Each satellite is equipped with an X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument for environmental monitoring, resource management and territorial security surveillance. They are capable of seeing the ground in daylight or darkness, with clear skies or cloudy ones.

"The craft can produce 450 images per day and the picture-collecting time between civil and military uses is proportional to the financial contributions made during development of the system. The Italian Space Agency funded about 70 percent and the Ministry of Defence provided about 30 percent.

"Imagery released for civilian purposes have a resolution of 1 meter, meaning objects as small as that size can be seen. The military capability is even sharper, though its exact resolution is classified.

"The satellites have proved themselves beneficial to humanitarian organizations responding to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

"The constellation of four satellites enables any specific region of the planet to be observed by COSMO-SkyMed every six hours. That allow authorities to assess and begin responding when a crisis strikes."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "350 launches and counting for family of Delta rockets"

Launch Notification: Fengyun 3B

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 November 4, 1837 UTC
Site: Taiyuan Space Center, PRC
Launcher: Long March 4C (Chang Zheng 4C)
International Designator(s): 2010-059A

SSC Name Owner
37214 FENGYUN 3B PRC

"China launched a new meteorological satellite early Friday morning, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Shanxi Province.

"A Long March-4C carrier rocket carried the satellite, the second of China's Fengyun-3 (FY-3) series, into space at 2:37 a.m. (Beijing Time).

"The satellite entered the sun-synchronous preset orbit 19 minutes later, according to data sent by the Xi'an Satellite Control Center in northwestern Shaanxi Province.

"After in-orbit testing, the launch center will hand over control of the satellite to the National Satellite Meteorological Center under the China Meteorological Administration.

"A statement of the launch center said the satellite was equipped with a dozen advanced detectors and was able to carry out a three-dimensional, all-weather, multi-spectrum quantitative detection to acquire data from the ground surface, the ocean and space.

"The satellite would form a network with the first FY-3 satellite, launched May 27, 2008, to improve China's meteorological observation and medium-range weather forecast capabilities, it said.

"The FY-3 series would continue to play an important role in monitoring natural disasters and environment, and researching environment and climate change and disaster prevention and reduction.

"Both the satellite and the rocket were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

"The launch was the 134th mission of China's Long March series of rockets since April 24, 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket successfully sent China's first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into the space.

"China will launch a total of 12 satellites of the FY-3 series and six of the FY-4 series by 2020."

Source: Xinhuanet, "China launches new weather satellite"

Chinese Lunar Orbiter Downlink

Paul Marsh reported the following on the Hearsat-L newsgroup:

I think I have re-found the Chinese Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter downlink. I've been monitoring it for a few hours, and can see both Doppler inversions as it orbits the Moon.

http://pjm.dyndns.org/sdr/change2a021110.jpg shows the signal, downlinking on 2210.800 MHz nominally.

I also caught this fft http://pjm.dyndns.org/sdr/change2a021110a.jpg showing the Doppler inversion.

Can someone else with S-Band facilities try to track this orbiter and report back its signal strength etc?

Also Nils in Germany confirmed Paul's observation:

I can confirm the Signal on 2210.816 MHz from Moon with upward doppler direction
at ~ 12:30 UTC. The Moon is about to set here currently, the following FFT was taken at 3°Elevation only. This is using a 1m mesh dish + EME103B LNA and Winradio Converter into an ICOM IC-R7100 with SDR-14 on the IF out.

http://www.bildercache.de/anzeige.html?dateiname=20101102-143010-148.png

Thanks gentlemen for sharing your observations with the rest of the monitoring community.

Launch Notification: Beidou G4

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 31, 1626 UTC
Site: Xichang Launch Facility, PRC
Launcher: Long March 3C (Chang Zheng 3C)
International Designator(s): 2010-057A

SSC Name Owner
37210 BEIDOU G4 PRC

"China launched its sixth Beidou navigation satellite Sunday, reaching another step in a program to provide precise positioning services across the Asia-Pacific region by 2012.

"The satellite lifted off on a Long March 3C rocket at 1626 GMT (12:26 p.m. EDT) Sunday. It was just after midnight at the Xichang launch base in southwestern China's Sichuan province.

"The three-stage rocket, standing 180 feet [55 m] tall at liftoff, placed the Beidou payload on course toward geosynchronous orbit, according to the Chinese government.

"According to tracking data, the spacecraft is in a preliminary orbit stretching from a low point of 115 miles [185 km] to a high point of about 22,260 miles [35,820 km]. Its inclination angle is 20.5 degrees.

"The Beidou, or Compass, satellite will fire its own engine to reach a circular orbit 22,300 miles [35,900 km] above the equator. It is the sixth satellite launched in the first phase of the system's operational fleet.

"The craft launched Sunday is the fourth platform designed for geosynchronous orbit over the equator. One satellite is in a medium-altitude orbit more than 13,000 miles [20,900 km] high, and another spacecraft was injected in an inclined orbit to cover Earth's polar regions.

"Four Beidou satellites have been sent into space so far this year."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "China deploys another navigation satellite to orbit"

Launch Notification: Progress-M 08M

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 27, 1511 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz-U
International Designator(s): 2010-055A

SSC Name Owner
37196 PROGRESS-M 08M CIS

"Just a week before the shuttle Discovery arrives at the International Space Station for its construction mission, a Russian resupply ship has launched to deliver a load of equipment, fuel and provisions to the orbiting science laboratory.

"Liftoff of the cargo freighter atop a Soyuz booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan occurred today at 11:11 a.m. EDT (1511 GMT).

"The preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet [11 m].

"A series of precise engine firings over the next three days will guide the Progress toward an automated rendezvous with the station. The docking is slated for Saturday at 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT).

"The 24-foot [7-m] long ship will attach itself to the open port on the Pirs compartment, which was vacated Monday when a previous Progress was jettisoned.

"Today's launch was known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 40P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-08M.

"The craft will bring two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 2,804 pounds [1,272 kg] in the form of food, spare parts, life support gear and experiment hardware.

"The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds [870 kg] of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 498 pounds [226 kg] of water and 110 pounds [50 kg] of oxygen.

"It'll remain attached to the station through mid-January."

Source: Spaceflght Now, "Cargo craft begins pursuit of International Space Station"

New York HF Volmet Off the Air

If you have been looking for any of the New York Volmet broadcasts on HF, they are off the air for transmitter replacement.

A0667/10 - QXXXX DUE TO TRANSMITTER REPLACEMENT AT THE BARNEGAT, NEW JERSEY, USA SITE, THERE WILL BE NO VOLMET SERVICE AVAILABLE FROM THIS LOCATION BETWEEN OCTOBER 12, AND NOVEMBER 18, 2010. 12 OCT 00:00 2010 UNTIL 18 NOV 23:59 2010. CREATED: 22 SEP 12:10 2010

New York Volmet shares its frequencies below with Gander NF Volmet.
Frequencies: 3485.0 6604.0 10051.0 13270.0 kHz

Launch Notification: XM-5

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 14, 1853 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton-M
International Designator(s): 2010-053A

SSC Name Owner
37185 XM-5 US

"Sirius XM Radio's next broadcasting satellite rocketed away from Earth and into space Thursday, reaching a lofty perch high above Earth for a 15-year mission serving nearly 20 million subscribers in North America with music, news and variety programming.

"The company's ninth satellite lifted off at 1853 GMT (2:53 p.m. EDT) from Pad 24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the first commercial Proton rocket launch from that complex in more than five years.

"The Proton lofted the Sirius XM 5 payload on a suborbital trajectory in less than 10 minutes, then a Breeze M upper stage fired as planned, according to International Launch Services, the Russian-owned, U.S.-based firm responsible for commercial Proton sales.

"The upper stage fired four more times overnight to raise its altitude and reduce its inclination, eventually arriving in an elliptical transfer orbit stretching more than 22,200 miles [35,700 km] from Earth at its furthest point.

"Deployment of Sirius XM 5 occurred at 0405 GMT (12:05 a.m. EDT) Wednesday, more than nine hours after liftoff."

"Sirius XM 5 will fire an on-board kick engine several times over the next few weeks to reach an orbit 22,300 miles [35,900 km] above the equator. Controllers will park the satellite at 80 degrees west longitude for a month of in-orbit testing, then the craft will drift to its long-term home at 85.2 degrees west longitude.

"The satellite will be an orbital spare for the XM 3 and XM 4 satellites currently transmitting operational radio signals, according to Lincoln Day, executive director at Space Systems/Loral, the satellite's prime contractor.

"Sirius XM 5 will join a fleet of spacecraft already beaming radio signals to receivers in cars, trucks, boats, aircraft, homes and mobile devices of more than 19.8 million subscribers."

"Two 29.5-foot-diameter [9-m-diameter] unfurlable mesh antennas will broadcast Sirius XM Radio's 135 audio channels. The antennas will be connected to an S-band downlink and X-band uplink communications payload.

"The satellite is designed to last for at least 15 years in space. Based on Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus, Sirius XM 5 will produce nearly 20 kilowatts of power at the end of its mission."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Sirius XM Radio satellite launched by Russian rocket"

Newly Launched Eutelsat W3B SATELLITE in Trouble

Eutelsat is reporting a loss of the recently launched W3B Satellite.

http://www.eutelsat.com/news/press-releases.html?idCp=755

Launch Notification: GLOBALSTAR M079, GLOBALSTAR M074, GLOBALSTAR M076, GLOBALSTAR M077, GLOBALSTAR M075, GLOBALSTAR M073

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 19, 1711 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz 2
International Designator(s): 2010-054A, 2010-054B, 2010-054C, 2010-054D, 2010-054E, 2010-054F

SSC Name Owner
37188 GLOBALSTAR M079 GLOB
37189 GLOBALSTAR M074 GLOB
37190 GLOBALSTAR M076 GLOB
37191 GLOBALSTAR M077 GLOB
37192 GLOBALSTAR M075 GLOB
37193 GLOBALSTAR M073 GLOB

"Globalstar's fleet of orbiting communications satellites received reinforcements Tuesday, when a commercial Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan and deployed six advanced spacecraft to restore the company's diminished two-way voice and data services.

"Built by Thales Alenia Space, the satellites are also the cornerstone of a rejuvenated Globalstar constellation Three more Soyuz launches are planned through the summer of 2011, bringing the company's fleet of second-generation satellites to 24 platforms.

"Globalstar officials say the transition to the new satellite fleet will be seamless for the company's 400,000 subscribers, except for a marked improvement in mobile two-way communications service.

"S-band antenna degradation on Globalstar's existing satellites has limited voice and duplex data communications since 2007. The problem has not affected Globalstar's simplex data relay and asset tracking product, according to the company.

"Globalstar subscribers use the satellite network to make mobile phone calls and data transmissions, especially in rural zones where terrestrial coverage is spotty or non-existent.

"By the middle of 2011, Globalstar officials say customers can expect a return to reliable voice and data transmissions. Until then, subscribers can use an application on the company's website to plug in their location and determine what hours satellite coverage is available."

"A Soyuz rocket launched at 1710:59 GMT (1:10:59 p.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soaring into a partly cloudy night sky, the Soyuz 2-1a booster and Fregat upper stage accelerated to orbital velocity a few minutes after liftoff.

"After coasting around the world for more than an hour, the Fregat upper stage ignited again to reach the planned separation orbit. The rocket was targeting a circular orbit 572 miles [921 km] high with an inclination of 52 degrees

"Mounted on a specially-built satellite dispenser during launch, the Globalstar spacecraft were released in a choreographed sequence to avoid collisions. Two satellites bolted to the top of the cone-shaped adapter separated first, then four craft on the lower portion of the structure deployed 96 seconds later.

"The satellites' first radio signals were received by ground stations moments after spacecraft separation, according to Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, which oversees commercial Soyuz launches through its Starsem subsidiary."

"In a phone interview from Baikonur on the eve of launch, Navarra said two of the satellites launched Tuesday will enter service in about one month. It will take up to four months for the other four craft to drift to their prescribed orbital locations."

"The new satellites weigh 1,543 pounds [700 kg] at launch and are supposed to operate for 15 years, extending Globalstar's constellation life through at least 2025

"When the Globalstar launch campaign ends next year, the company's fleet will include 24 second-generation spacecraft and eight leftover first-generation satellites built as spares and launched in 2007."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Six improved Globalstar craft orbited by Soyuz rocket"

Launch Notification: SHIJIAN-6G and SHIJIAN-6H

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 October 6, 0049 UTC
Site: Taiyuan Space Center, PRC
Launcher: Long March 4B (Chang Zheng 4B)
International Designator(s): 2010-051A, 2010-051B

SSC Name Owner
37179 SJ-6G
(SHIJIAN-6G) PRC

37180 SJ-6H
(SHIJIAN-6H) PRC

"Two research satellites flew into a nearly 400-mile-high [644-km-high] orbit early Wednesday on a Long March rocket, continuing a pace of nearly one Chinese launch a week since the end of July.

"A Long March 4B rocket lifted off at 0049 GMT Wednesday (8:49 p.m. EDT Tuesday) from the Taiyuan space center in northern China. The launch occurred a few hours before the Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter arrived at the moon after a five-day journey from Earth.

"According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the 15-story rocket carried two Shijian 6 satellites. U.S. military tracking data show the spacecraft orbiting about 375 miles [603 km] above Earth with an inclination of about 98 degrees to the equator.

"It was the 11th space launch of the year for China Seven of those missions have been since the end of July, a span of less than 10 weeks.

"The payloads are the fourth pair of Shijian 6 satellites. The spacecraft, dubbed Shijian 6G and Shijian 6H, will probe the space environment, according to Xinhua.

"No other details of their mission were released.

"Shijian satellites are believed to test technology demonstration and space research experiments. Shijian means "practice" in Chinese.

"The last set of Shijian 6 satellites launched in October 2008. One of the craft, Shijian 6F, became the target of an orbital rendezvous demonstration in August.

"A newly-launched satellite named Shijian 12 approached within 200 meters, or 656 feet, of Shijian 6F in mid-August, according to amateur satellite observations and U.S. Air Force data."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Pair of research satellites launched by China"

Launch Notification: Cosmos 2469

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 September 30, 1701 UTC
Site: Plesetsk Missile and Space Complex, Russia
Launcher: Molniya-M
International Designator(s): 2010-049A

SSC Name Owner
37170 COSMOS 2469 CIS

"A Molniya-M carrier rocket successfully released a Kosmos satellite into orbit on Thursday, a spokeman from the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The rocket blasted off from the Pletesk space center in northern Russia at 21.01 Moscow time (17.01 GMT).

"The satellite will be used by the Russian Defense Ministry for military purposes."

Source: RIA Novosti, "Russia successfully sends Kosmos satellite into orbit"

Launch Notification: YAOGAN 11, ZHEDA PIXING 1B, ZHEDA PIXING 1C

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 September 22, 0242 UTC
Site: Jiuquan Space Center, PRC
Launcher: Long March 2D (Chang Zheng 2D)
International Designator(s): 2010-047A, 2010-047B, 2010-047C

SSC Name Owner
37165 YAOGAN 11 PRC
37166 ZHEDA PIXING 1B PRC
37167 ZHEDA PIXING 1C PRC

"A secret military payload successfully launched aboard a Long March rocket early Wednesday, continuing a feverish pace of Chinese space activity that includes a mysterious orbital rendezvous, an upcoming lunar probe and preps for continued human missions.

"It was the fifth launch in barely 50 days for China, and the second mission in that period lofting a clandestine Yaogan reconnaissance satellite.

"Wednesday's launch began with the blastoff of a Long March 2D rocket at 0242 GMT (10:42 p.m. EDT Tuesday) from the Jiuquan space center in the desert of northwestern China, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

"It was 10:42 a.m. Beijing time.

"The 135-foot-tall [41-m-tall] launch vehicle placed Yaogan 11 and two smaller satellites on a path nearly 400 miles [644 km] above Earth.

"The Yaogan 11 payload orbited Wednesday will conduct scientific experiments, survey land resources, estimate crop yields and contribute to natural disaster response efforts, Xinhua reported.

"But the Yaogan satellite series are believed to provide the Chinese military with high-resolution reconnaissance imagery through electro-optical cameras and night-vision radar systems."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "China orbits spy satellite amid uptick in space activity"

Nine years later: Towers of Babble

From the The Virginian-Pilot, September 11, 2010
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/09/nine-years-later-towers-babble

A network that allows public safety agencies to communicate with each other remains one of the most elusive and pressing recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Nine years after America was attacked, there's no guarantee that such a system will ever come into existence.

As The New York Times reported this week, squabbling over who will control a prime slice of broadband spectrum has left plans for a nationwide system literally up in the air.

The Federal Communications Commission has been pushing an approach that would have commercial companies buy and control the airwaves and build fourth-generation wireless networks on it. During emergencies, police and fire and emergency personnel would get control of the network, effectively taking over the airwaves to coordinate interagency communication.

Those public safety groups, however, insist such a network is unlikely to have the capacity needed during an emergency, meaning it could fail under heavy use and put lives at risk. They want exclusive control of the entire section of the spectrum, and they're lobbying Congress for it.
It has been six years since the 9/11 Commission issued its massive report, which included recommendations to improve the response to catastrophes on the scale of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

That makes the prolonged delay over divvying up broadband spectrum and developing a nationwide interoperable communication system all the more frustrating, particularly for commission members. Two years ago, after an FCC auction failed to draw sufficient commercial bids, the commission's vice chairman told The Washington Post: "I've lost patience... The slowness of this just indicates a lack of urgency and a lack of concern about human survival and human life if a disaster strikes."

The unhurried pace is indeed disappointing, especially given the urgency of the problem. During the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York nine years ago, first responders found themselves - for a variety of reasons - unable to communicate with each other. People died as a result.

There has been some progress that will help in future emergencies.

Today, many police and fire departments, including those in South Hampton Roads, use plain English on their radios instead of arbitrary, agency-specific codes.

They have developed interoperable regional systems and standard operating procedures to communicate during emergencies, and they've held joint training to prepare for hurricanes, plane crashes and other disasters.

Such changes have helped communities become better prepared, but each would be more valuable if they were part of a system that permits local, state and federal agencies from Virginia to Oregon to communicate and coordinate in a large-scale emergency.

Officials have said construction of the network could take as much as a decade. That means if Congress has any intention of seeing the system in place before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, it must act now to settle the debate over access to the broadband spectrum.

QZS-1 (MICHIBIKI)

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 September 11, 1117 UTC
Site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Launcher: H-2A
International Designator(s): 2010-045A

SSC Name Owner
37158 QZS-1 (MICHIBIKI) JPN

"An H-2A rocket flew to space Saturday with a Japanese satellite to meet a pressing need for improved navigation services amid the country's numerous mountains and high-rise buildings.

"The rocket's payload is the first of three planned satellites to fill coverage gaps from U.S. Global Positioning System satellites caused by signal blockage from mountains and skyscrapers.

"Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and four government ministries, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System is aimed at overcoming ground interference by launching more navigation satellites strategically positioned high in the sky above Asia.

"The line-of-sight navigation signals from GPS satellites can be interrupted in rural hamlets and skyscraper-filled cities like Tokyo, where users occasionally lack sufficient data to determine their position, elevation and time.

"JAXA says a constellation of three QZSS spacecraft would make three-dimensional navigation coverage available 99.8 percent of the time, an improvement over the estimated 90 percent availability with GPS satellites today.

"Four GPS satellites must appear in the sky at one time to triangulate a user's 3D position and time, but buildings and mountains can block signals from spacecraft close to the horizon.

"The first QZSS navigation craft launched Saturday on an H-2A rocket. Its nickname is Michibiki, which means "guiding" or "showing the way" in Japanese.

"Michibiki is demonstrating the system's navigation instruments and proving the satellite works before Japan commits to launching the other two spacecraft.

"The 17-story launcher lifted off at 1117 GMT (7:17 a.m. EDT) from Launch Pad No. 1 at the Yoshinobu launch complex, a shoreline facility at the Tanegashima Space Center off the coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands."

"JAXA says Michibiki will reach its final orbit in about two weeks. It will be three months before the satellite finishes commissioning tests and can begin its navigation demos.

"Michibiki will circle the Earth at a 45-degree angle to the equator. Its orbital high point will be more than 24,000 miles [38,600 km] over the northern hemisphere and its lowest altitude will be 20,500 miles [33,000 km], according to JAXA.

"Projected against Earth's surface, Michibiki's ground track will chart an asymmetric figure-eight pattern stretching from Japan to Australia as it alternates north and south of the equator.

"Michibiki will be near-zenith, or almost straight up, in the Japanese sky for about eight hours each day. If launched, the two follow-on satellites would permit continuous coverage of Japan."

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Navigation satellite launched to show the way in Japan"

Launch Notification: Cosmos 2464/2465/2466

Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.

New Launch: 2010 September 2, 0053 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton-M
International Designator(s): 2010-041A, 2010-041B, 2010-041C

SSC Name Owner
37137 COSMOS 2464 CIS
37138 COSMOS 2465 CIS
37139 COSMOS 2466 CIS

"A Proton rocket blasted off overnight Wednesday with three spacecraft to help expand Russia's satellite navigation system to provide positioning services around the world.

"The Proton rocket launched at 0053 GMT Thursday (8:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday) from [P]ad 81 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where the first pink hues of sunrise splashed the dawn sky.

"With six main engines burning, the Proton soared into mostly clear skies and jettisoned its first stage two minutes after liftoff. The three-stage rocket deployed a Block DM upper stage and the three Glonass payloads in space less than 10 minutes into the mission.

"The Block DM was expected to fire twice to place the Glonass satellites in a circular orbit 12,000 miles [19,000 km] above Earth with an inclination of 64.8 degrees.

"Spacecraft separation occurred at 0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT) in the targeted orbit, according to the Russian Space Agency.

"The satellites are the second group of Glonass platforms launched this year. Three other spacecraft were orbited by a Proton rocket March 1.

"Each satellite weighs about 3,000 pounds [1,360 kg] at launch, including maneuvering fuel to maintan the craft's orientation in space. The modernized Glonass M spacecraft are designed to operate for seven years in orbit, according to their manufacturer, Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev Co.

"Glonass satellites broadcast navigation signals to military and civilian users from their orbital perch, reaching ground receivers across a swath of Earth nearly stretching from pole to pole.

"According to a Russian Space Agency website, 21 Glonass satellites are currently operational. Two more spacecraft are considered spares.

"Glonass satellites are scattered in three orbital groups, each designed for eight spacecraft to achieve global navigation coverage with a total of 24 operating satellites.

"Three more Glonass M satellites are scheduled for launch in November."

[Note: Identifications were made using current orbital motion toward designated orbital slots reported by the Russian Space Agency.]

Source: Spaceflight Now, "Group of navigation satellites launched by Proton rocket"

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