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TS News - JSR Recent Launch Review

TELE-satellit News, 11 August 1997

JSR Recent Launch Review
  CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, USA, 97/08/11 (JSR) -- This is a roundup of
recent launches, summarized by Jonathan McDowell in the "Jonathon's Space
Report" bulletin, http://hea-www.harvard.edu/QEDT/jcm/space/jsr/jsr.html .

  Navstar SVN 43
  A GPS satellite was launched on Jul 23. I understand this is IIR
satellite 3, or Navstar SVN 43. It is the second IIR satellite to be
launched, and the first to reach orbit successfully. The Delta second stage
entered a 196 x 1339 km x 37.7 deg orbit; the PAM-D third stage  reached
187 x 20363 km x 39 deg and separated from the GPS. The GPS's internal
Thiokol Star 37 apogee motor fired by Jul 25 to place SVN 43 in a 19876 x
20223 km x 54.9 deg operating orbit; on board thrusters will make the final
adjustments.

  SuperBird C
  The Superbird C satellite was launched on Jul 28 by a Lockheed Martin
Atlas IIAS. The satellite is an HS-601 comsat built by Hughes for Space
Communications Co. of Japan. The Atlas used the supersynchronous transfer
orbit technique again, delivering Superbird into a 333 x 91062 km x 25.3
deg highly eccentric orbit. The onboard Marquardt R-4D-12 engine will be
used to lower the apogee and raise perigee to reach a circular
geostationary orbit.

  OrbView 2
  Orbital Sciences launched a Pegasus XL on Aug 1, placing the OrbView-2
satellite in orbit for their OrbImage subsidiary. Orbview-2, formerly known
as SeaStar, will provide oceanographic data under contract from NASA. The
L-1011 carrier plane took off from Vandenberg at around 1915 UTC and
dropped the rocket over the Pacific at 2020 UTC. The satellite carries the
SeaWIFS imaging sensor. Initial orbit of Orbview-2 was 294 x 311 km x 98.3
deg.

  Iridium
  The latest Iridium satellites have started to raise their orbits from
their initial 620 x 650 km ones.
         Jul 28       Aug  6
  SV015  695 x 705     773 x 780 x 86.4
  SV017  667 x 671     773 x 780 x 86.4
  SV018  665 x 673     773 x 779 x 86.4
  SV020  667 x 671     772 x 782 x 86.4
  SV021  627 x 645     626 x 656 x 86.3

  This confirms that SV021 is the failed satellite, which has remained in
its initial orbit. The Delta second stage lowered its orbit after
dispensing the satellites and is in a 266 x 620 km orbit.

  PanAmSat-6
  An Ariane 44P, flight V98, was launched on Aug 8 from Kourou carrying a
Space Systems/Loral FS-1300 class satellite, PAS-6. PAS 6 is owned by
Panamsat (which recently merged with Hughes Galaxy) and will provide direct
broadcast services to South America. Launch mass is 3420 kg, dry mass is
1285 kg,and payload includes 36 ku-band transponders. The Ariane placed its
payload in a 181 x 37143 km x 7.1 deg transfer orbit. PAS 5 will be
launched later this month by a Proton from Baykonur.

  Source: Jonathon's Space Report
(c)TELE-satellit 1997. All rights reserved.
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