Jonathan's Space Report
No.
770 2019 Oct 19
Somerville,
MA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IAC
2019
--------
I'll be at the IAC 2019 conference in Washington, D.C. I
hope to meet some of you there!
Catalog of Deep Space
Objects
-----------------------------
The US satellite catalog is
pretty comprehensive for artificial objects
in Earth orbit below an altitude
of 50,000 km. Beyond that it is less
reliable, and beyond 150,000 km it is
seriously incomplete. At 150,000
km lunar perturbations are large enough that
Keplerian orbits stop being
a good long term approximation.
No-one is
officially responsible for knowing what hardware is in
heliocentric orbit or
on the other planets, despite the planetary
protection concerns.
As a
start to fixing that, I present version 1.0 of DEEPCAT, the Catalog
of Deep
Space Objects:
https://planet4589.org/space/deepcat/index.html
International
Space Station
---------------------------
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. The airlock was depressurized at 1132
UTC,
and the hatch opened at 1137 UTC.
Koch amd Meir moved spare BCDU
0028 from ELC1 at 1305 UTC and installed
in in P6 in the 2B2 slot at 1501
UTC. Failed BCDU 011 was removed from
P6 2B2 at 1452 UTC and brought back to
the airlock at 1557 UTC.
Following some further minor tasks the crew returned
to the airlock with
hatch close at 1851 UTC and beginning of repressurization
at 1855 UTC.
This was the first spacewalk in which all of the spacewalkers
were
women.
Beidou
------
Two Beidou-3 MEO satellites,
M23/24 (DW47/48), were launched to 12-hour orbits on Sep
22.
Yunhai-1-02
-----------
China launched the second Yunhai-1
satellite on Sep 25. The satellite carries
a GNSS radio occultation
meteorology payload.
EKS No. 3
----------
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
---------
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
--------
The Tsubame (SLATS) low orbit test
satellite reentered on Oct 1. Its final orbit was 133 x 147
km.
Kosmos-2535/2536
----------------
Kosmos-2535 and 2536
continue proximity operations. Kosmos-2537 and Kosmos-2538
(objects B and C
but we're not sure which is which) have not changed orbit, but in
October
several new objects were cataloged in a similar orbit and appear to have
been
released from objects B and/or C around Oct 11. They may be debris
objects
from a minor collision or sub-payloads for radar calibration (like
the ESO test objects
released from the Romb and Kol'tso satellites in the
past).
MEV-1/Eutelsat 5WB
------------------
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
----
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
--------
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. The satellite was placed
in a 1207 x 1225 km orbit,
with the second stage and two pieces of debris in
a 309 x 1200 km x 87.9 deg orbit. The kick stage
was deorbited.
TJS
4
-----
Tongxing Jishu Shiyan 4 was launched from Xichang on Oct 17 to
geotransfer orbit. The satellite
is described as a communications techology
satellite, but may be a signals intelligence satellite.
Table of
Recent Orbital Launches
----------------------------------
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 1208 x 1225 x 87.9
Oct 17 1521 TJS 4 Chang
Zheng 3B Xichang LC3 Sigint? 70A S44637 195 x 34974 x
27.0
Table of Recent Suborbital
Launches
-----------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|
Jonathan McDowell | |
|
Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
|
USA | twitter: @planet4589
|
|
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