|
Spacecrafts
launched in 2005 :
Spacecraft
Entries
.
Deep Impact "flyby"
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #1 ; 2005-001A ; 6298th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Planetary probe |
| Families: |
Discovery-8 mission |
| Ranks: |
1696th American
spacecraft (593rd civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
NASA |
|
Source: NASA
|
| Launch: |
12 January 2005 at 18h47 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, by a Delta II 7925. |
| Orbit: |
Solar orbit: 0.981 AU x 1.628 AU x 0.6°
(to the ecliptic)
2013: 0.97 AU x 1.21 AU x 3.2° |
| Mission: |
 Deep
Impact encountered a comet in order to study its interior The probe
is a two-part spacecraft, the larger (601-kg) "flyby" vehicle carries a
smaller (372-kg) "impactor" (photo at right).
On 4 July 2005, it arrived at Comet Tempel 1. As it approaches, the spacecraft
collectd images and, 24 hours before an impact, the flyby spacecraft released
the impactor on a course to hit the comet's sunlit side. Then, the flyby
spacecraft maneuvered to a new path that, at closest approach, passed 500
km from the comet. It had observed and recorded data about the impact,
the ejected material blasted from the crater and the structure and composition
of the crater's interior. Deep Impact is the 8th NASA Discovery Mission
and is the first space mission to probe beneath the surface of a comet
to reveal the secrets of its interior.
As schedule on 4 July 2005,
the Deep Impact Flyby spacecraft sent back spectacular pictures of the
impact of Deep Impact Impactor with comet 9P/Tempel 1. Flyby passed about
500 km from the comet at 5h59 UTC, at which time it was in 'shields up'
mode pointing away from the comet to protect itself from the plume.
In October 2012,
the Deep Impact probe was targeted towards minor planet (163249) 2002 GT,
which it might have reached in 2020. But its mission has come to an end
in 2013 with last contact on 11 August. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No.543,
550
&
686
;
Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-001A
; NASA's 2010-2014 News Releases
;
Spaceflight
Now’s 2013 Stories
; |
|
|
.
Deep Impact "impactor"
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #2 ; 2005-001B ; 6299th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Planetary probe |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1697th American
spacecraft (594th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
NASA |
|
Source: NASA |
| Launch: |
12 January 2005 at 18h47 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, by a Delta II 7925. |
| Orbit: |
Impact on comet Tempel-1 on 4 July 2005. |
| Mission: |
The 372-kg Deep Impact "impactor" had hited
comet 9P/Tempel-1 on 4 July 2005, at a relative velocity of 37,000 km/h.
It had maked a crater that was expected to range in size from that of a
house to that of a football stadium, and two to fourteen stories deep.
Ice and dust debris were ejected from the crater revealing fresh material
beneath. The impactor is a battery-powered spacecraft that had operated
independently of the flyby spacecraft for just
one day. The "impactor" is composed mainly of copper, which is not expected
to appear in data from a comet's composition. It is called a "smart" impactor
because, after its release, it takes over its own navigation and maneuvers
into the path of the comet. Its camera had captured images of the comet's
nucleus just seconds before collision. The impact was not be forceful enough
to make an appreciable change in the comet's orbital path around the Sun.
The Deep Impact
Impactor spacecraft separated from the DI Flyby vehicle on 3 July 2005
at 6h00 UTC. Impactor hit comet 9P/Tempel 1 at 10.2 km/s on 4 July at 5h44:58
UTC. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 543
& 550
; |
|
|
.
Kosmos 2414
| Spacecraft: |
Parus |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #3 ; 2005-002A ; 6300th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Navigation |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3441st Russian
spacecraft (2383rd military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Defense ministry |
|
|
| Launch: |
20 January 2005 at 3h00 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's PL-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
912 km x 966 km |
| Mission: |
This navigation satellite is in a somewhat
lower than the usual Parus satellite launches, corresponding to a small
underspeed of about 27 m/s. It was launched into the same plane as Kosmos
2239 orbited in 1993. In fact, the Kosmos-3M rocket performed
nominally but the target orbit was lower than usual because of the
heavy SAR-Lupe fairing and the secondary
payload. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No.543
& 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-002A; |
|
|
.
Universitetskiy / "Tatyana"
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #4 ; 2005-002B ; 6301st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Radiation studies |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3442nd Russian
spacecraft (1058th civilian) ; 95th Amateur
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Moskovskiy Gosudarstvenniy Universitet |
|
|
| Launch: |
20 January 2005 at 3h00 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's PL-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
912 km x 966 km |
| Mission: |
"Universitetskiy", a 30-kg student satellite
for radiation studies, was ejected from Kosmos 2414.
It was built by students at MGU (Moskovskiy Gosudarstvenniy Universitet)
for the university's 250th anniversary, and is nicknamed 'Tatyana' since
the university's anniversary day is St. Tatyana's day. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 543
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-002C
; |
|
|
.
AMC-12 / AMERICOM-12
/ Worldsat 2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #5 ; 2005-003A ; 6302nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
736th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
524th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
SES AMERICOM |
|
|
| Launch: |
3 February 2005 at 2h27 UTC,
from Baikonur Cosmodrome, by a Proton/Breeze M. |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 37.5° West longitude. |
| Mission: |
 AMC-12
is a high-powered C-band satellite with 72 transponders organized into
three regional beams: North America, South America and Europe/Middle East/Africa.
It supports the transmission of digital video and data services in these
three regional beams. SES ASTRA has committed to integrating 33 transponders
offering services into Africa into their services portfolio as ASTRA 4A.
Star One of Brazil has contracted to purchase 18 transponders offering
services within South America in their portfolio as Star One C-12. SES
AMERICOM will be using the AMC-12 capacity to interconnect the U.S. with
Europe/Middle East/Africa and with South America, as well as to deliver
services throughout South America. Built by Alcatel Space, this Spacebus
4000 spacecraft is the first of this generation platform. The satellite’s
advanced design and high power levels will support a wide range of applications
from TV broadcasting to high-speed internet connections, facilitating reception
and higher data throughout to smaller C-band antennas. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-003A
; ILS News:
SES Americom News
; |
|
|
.
NROL-23 / USA 181
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #6 ; 2005-004A ; 6303rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Electronic intelligence |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1698th American
spacecraft (1103th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. National Reconnaissance Office |
|
|
| Launch: |
3 February 2005 at 7h41 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-36B, by an Atlas III (AC-206). |
| Orbit: |
1011 km x 1209 km x 63.4°. |
| Mission: |
The nature of the NROL-23 mission is classified.
But amateur observers are tracking the payloads in a 1011 km x 1209 km
x 63.4° orbit. The two USA 181 payloads are thought to be US Navy signals
intelligence satellites using radio interferometry to locate ships via
their radio signals. |
| Notes: |
 This
launch was the sixth and final mission for the Atlas 3 rocket, which has
been replaced by the Atlas 5. It also marked the end of an era for launch
complex 36, which has been in service since 1962. Over the past four decades,
145 Atlas launches have taken place from the complex's two pads, including
missions to Venus, Mars, Mercury and the lunar surface, as well as an assortment
of military and communications satellites. There were 587 Atlas launches
beginning with the Atlas 4A missile test in Jun 1957. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-004A
; ILS News
: NRO News
; |
|
|
.
NROL-23 Subsatellite
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #7 ; 2005-004C ; 6304th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Electronic intelligence |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1699th American
spacecraft (1104th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. National Reconnaissance Office |
|
|
| Launch: |
3 February 2005 at 7h41 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-36B, by an Atlas III (AC-206). |
| Orbit: |
1011 km x 1209 km x 63.4°. |
| Mission: |
The nature of the NROL-23 mission is classified.
But amateur observers are tracking the payloads in a 1011 km x 1209 km
x 63.4° orbit. The two USA 181 payloads are thought to be US Navy signals
intelligence satellites using radio interferometry to locate ships via
their radio signals. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; ILS News:
NRO
News
; |
|
|
.
XTAR-EUR
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #8 ; 2005-005A ; 6305th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications (military) |
| Families: |
737th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
250th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Spain's Hisdesat/XTAR |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 February 2005 at 21h03 UTC,
from Kourou Space Cener's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5ECA (V164, Ariane 521). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary |
| Mission: |
XTAR-EUR, is a 3600-kg commercial X-band
military communications satellite own by Hisdesat/XTAR of Spain and built
by Loral. It is an SS/L 1300 satellite with a mass of 1412 kg as well as
2219 kg of propellant. |
| Notes: |
 
Arianespace, CNES and ESA launched the second Ariane 5ECA, (vehicle 521,
Flight V164). It was the first 5ECA to reach orbit, following the loss
of vehicle 517 on flight V157 in 2002 during the burn of the first
stage Vulcain 2 engine. This time the Vulcain 2 performed well. This latest
version of Ariane 5, designed to loft payloads of up to 10 tonnes to geostationary
transfer orbit, successfully completed its initial qualification flight,
the launcher injected its payload into the predicted transfer orbit. This
success paves the way for the commercial introduction of this Ariane 5
ECA version, which is due to replace the current Ariane 5G Generic configuration.
Starting from the second flight, scheduled for mid-year 2005, Ariane 5
ECA will become the new European workhorse for lifting heavy payloads to
geostationary orbit and beyond. Ariane 5 ECA features upgraded twin solid
boosters, each loaded with an extra 2.43 tonnes of propellant, increasing
their combined thrust on liftoff by a total of 60 tonnes compared to the
Generic configuration. The cryogenic main stage has also been upgraded
to carry 15 tonnes of additional propellant. It is powered by the new Vulcain
2 engine, derived from Vulcain 1, which provides 20% more thrust. The Ariane
5 ECA introduces the new high-performance "ESC-A" cryogenic upper stage,
powered by the same HM-7B engine as on the Ariane 4 third stage.
Ariane 5 ECA has enough lift capacity to take most combinations of commercial
satellites to geostationary transfer orbit (Photos: ESA) |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-005A
; ESA News 12
Feb 05 ; |
|
|
.
Maqsat-B2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #9 ; 2005-005D ; 6306th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
251st European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
ESA |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 February 2005 at 21h03 UTC,
from Kourou Space Cener's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5ECA V164, Ariane 521). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary transfert orbit. |
| Mission: |
Maqsat B2 is 3500-kg instrumented model that
was designed to simulate the dynamic behaviour of a commercial satellite
inside the Ariane 5 payload fairing. Built by Kayser-Threde, it studied
the Ariane 5ECA launch environment. An autonomous telemetry system transmitted
data on the payload environment during all the flight phases, from liftoff
to in-orbit injection. Maqsat B2 cameras also provided dramatic onboard
views of several key flight phases, including separation of the solid boosters
and jettisoning of the Sylda upper-half payload. This payload remained
attached to the launcher's upper stage but ejected the small Sloshsat-FLEVO. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-005D
; ESA News 12
Feb 05 ; |
|
|
.
Sloshsat-FLEVO
| Spacecraft: |
Sloshsat Facility for Liquid
Experimentation and Verification in Orbit |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #10 ; 2005-005C ; 6307th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
252nd European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
ESA / Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory
(NRL) |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 February 2005 at 21h03 UTC,
from Kourou Space Cener's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5ECA V164, Ariane 521). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary transfert orbit. |
| Mission: |
Sloshsat FLEVO is a 129-kg satellite
developed for ESA by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NRL). It
investigates fluid physics in microgravity to understand how propellant-tank
sloshing affects spacecraft control. Its mission is planned to last 10
days. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 544
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-005C
; ESA News 12
Feb 05 ; |
|
|
.
MTSAT-1R / Himawari
6
| Spacecraft: |
Himawari means 'sunflowerr. |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #11 ; 2005-006A ; 6308th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Meteorology & communications |
| Families: |
738th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
91st Japanese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) |
|
|
| Launch: |
26 February 2005 at 9h25 UTC,
from Tanegashima Space Center, by a H-2A. |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 140° East longitude |
| Mission: |
MTSAT-1R is a 1.78-tonne satellite which
provides weather data for the Japanese Meteorological Agency following
on from the Himawari-GMS series, and air traffic control support (airplane-ATC
voice/data links, GPS augmentation and airplane position tracking) for
the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau. It is a SS/L-1300 satellite built by
Space Systems/Loral. It is expected to replace GMS-5
/ Himawari 5. |
| Notes: |
Japan's H2A returned to flight restores some
confidence in the troubled JAXA |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 545
& 546
; Spacewarn No. 616
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-006A
; |
|
|
.
Progress M-52 / ISS
17P
| Spacecraft: |
Progress M (7K-TGM) No. 352 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #12 ; 2005-007A ; 6309th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Cargo delivery to the International Space
Station |
| Families: |
107th Progress cargoship (17th to ISS) ; |
| Ranks: |
3443rd Russian
spacecraft (1059th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency |
|
|
| Launch: |
28 February 2005 at 19h09 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome, by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
Initial: 193 km x 245 km x 51.7° x 88.6
min |
| Reentry: |
15 June 2005 |
| Mission: |
Progress M-52 is an automatic cargo craft
that carried 2.5 tonnes of food, fuel, water and equipment to the International
Space Station. Also onboard were 50 snails to test the effect of microgravity.
The cargoship docked with the Zvezda module on 2 March 2005 at 20h10 UTC.
Progress
M-52, carrying over a tonne of garbage from the station, was evicted from
its port to deorbit into the Pacific Ocean. It undocked from the Zvezda
module on 15 June 2005 at 20h16 UTC, iIts engine burn at 23h16 UTC, lowered
its orbit from 347 km x 353 km to 62 km x 353 km, and it reentered over
the Pacific at 23h57 UTC. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No.
545 & 549
; Spacewarn No. 616
& 620
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-007A
; |
|
|
.
XM Radio 3 / XM-3 Rhythm
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #13 ; 2005-008A ; 6310th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
739th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
525th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
XM Satellite Radio
Inc. |
|
|
| Launch: |
1st March 2005 at 3h31 UTC, from
Odyssey platform, by a Zenit-3SL. (The Odyssey platform was positioned
on the equatorial Pacific Ocean, at 154° West longitude.) |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 85° West longitude |
| Mission: |
XM 3 is a 4,700-kg radio relay satellite
that provides music, sports, and news radio through 130 channels to subscribers
with specially equipped receivers in their automobiles. It supplement XM's
digital radio service currently provided by XM
Radio-1 and XM Radio-2.
XM-3 is a Boeing 702 satellite. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 545
; Spacewarn No. 617
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-008A
; |
|
|
.
Inmarsat 4 F1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #14 ; 2005-009A ; 6311th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
740th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
253rd European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Inmarsat |
|
|
| Launch: |
11 March 2005 at 21h42 UTC, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s SLC-41, by an Atlas V 431 (AV-004). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 64° East longitude. |
| Mission: |
Inmarsat 4-F1 is a 5.95-tonne communications
satellite that provides direct-to-home, high-speed digital communications
to much of Europe, Asia and Africa via 200 spot beams in C- and L-bands.
The Astrium Eurostar 3000 class spacecraft has a mass of 5,940 kg at launch,
and spans 45 meters when its solar panels are deployed. |
| Notes: |
International Launch Services rocketed Lockheed
Martin Atlas V 431’s Flight AV-004, an Atlas model that has three solid
boosters, an Atlas V CCB core booster, a single engine Centaur upper stage,
and an extended 4-meter diameter payload fairing. This is the fifth Atlas
V launch following two Atlas V 401s and two Atlas V 521s, all of which
have launched commercial communications satellites. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 545
; Spacewarn No. 617
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-009A
; Inmarsat News
Release ; |
|
|
.
TNS-0 Nanosputnik /
TEX 42
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #15 ; 2005-008C ; 6312th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3444th Russian
spacecraft (1060th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia |
|
|
|
.
Ekspress AM-2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #16 ; 2005-010A ; 6313th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
741st geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
3445th Russian
spacecraft (1061st civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia |
|
|
| Launch: |
29 March 2005 at 21h31 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome’s PL-200, by a Proton-K/DM-2M (410-09). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 80° East longitude. |
| Mission: |
Express AM-2 is a 2.6-tonne communications
spacecraft that carries 16 C-band, 12 Ku-band and one L-band transponders
to provide digital broadcasting, telephony and video-conferencing and broadband
internet access to all countries either side of the Himalayan range. Ekspress
AM-2 is built by NPO PM with an Alcatel comms payload. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 546
; Spacewarn No. 617
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-010A
; |
|
|
.
XSS-11
| Spacecraft: |
eXperimental Satellite System
11 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #17 ; 2005-011A ; 6314th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology (military) |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1700th American
spacecraft (1105th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL) |
|
|
| Launch: |
11 April 2005 at 13h35 UTC, from
Vandenberg Air Force Base’s SLC-8, by a Minotaur. |
| Orbit: |
839 km x 875 km x 98.8° x 102.1 min. |
| Mission: |
XSS-11 is a 100-kg military microsatellite
that is equipped with sensors to seek out and make close rendezvous with
several rocket bodiess and dead spacecrafts that are still in orbit. It
approaches each such object as closely as 2.5 km to examine and image it,
making sure that it will never collide. It stays under the control of ground
crews, except when it can be confidently allowed to move autonomously.
The rendezvous exercise with several objects will continue during the mission
life of 12 to 18 months. This experimental model carries no projectiles.
The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin/Denver |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 546
; Spacewarn No. 618
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-011A
; |
|
|
.
APStar 6
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #18 ; 2005-012A ; 6315th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
742nd geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
526th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
APT Satellite Co. (Hong Kong) |
|
|
|
.
Soyuz TMA-6 / ISS 10S
| Spacecraft: |
Soyuz 11F732 (7K-STMA) No. |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #19 ; 2005-013A ; 6316th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Piloted spaceship |
| Families: |
246th piloted spaceship (100th Russian) ; |
| Ranks: |
3446th Russian
spacecraft (1062nd civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency & NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
15 April 2005 at 0h46 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome’s LC-1, by a Soyuz-FG (No. 14). |
| Orbit: |
349 km x 360 km x 51.64° x 91.6 min, |
| Recovery: |
11 October 2005 at 1h09 UTC. |
| Mission: |
Soyuz TMA-6 is a transport craft that carries
a crew of three : Commander Sergey Krikalyov of Russia; Flight engineer-2
John Phillips of NASA (“Expedition 11”) and Soyuz flight engineer-1
Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency (the ENEIDE mission) (Vittory
is also designated EP-8, for visiting crew 8), The spacecraft docked with
the ISS's Pirs module on 17 April 2005 at 2h20 UTC, as planned. During
a 10-day visit, the Italian astronaut carried out experiments in human
physiology, biology, technology, and education, and returned to Earth in
the previously docked Soyuz
TMA-5 (along with the two Expedotion 10 crewmembers). The other two
crewmembers on TMA-6 will spend the next six months in the station.
On 11 October 2005, Expedition
11 crew, and tourist Greg Olsen returned to Earth. Soyuz TMA-6 undocked
from the Zarya module on 10 October at 21h49 UTC. The deorbit burn occured
on 11 October at 0h19 UTC; the orbital and service modules separated at
0h43 UTC and the Soyuz capsule landed at 1h09 UTC. There was some concern
due to an apparent small pressure leak in the spacecraft, but the crew
were recovered safe and well. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
& 556
; Spacewarn No. 618
& 624
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-013A
; |
|
|
.
DART
| Spacecraft: |
Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous
Technology |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #20 ; 2005-014A ; 6317th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
688th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
1701st American
spacecraft (595th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
15 April 2005 at 17h26 UTC, from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, by a Pegasus XL/HAPS. |
| Orbit: |
395 km x 747 km x 96.6° x 96.1 min. |
| Mission: |
DART is a 360-kg technology demonstrator
satellite that is built around the Pegasus HAPS hydrazine-fuelled fourth
stage, It was to have test capabilities to rendezvous and maneuver around
a specially equipped DoD satellite MUBLCOM.
However, a malfunction of the satellite, while it had reached 91 meters
from the target satellite, resulted in the loss of the mission.
Controlled autonomously
by onboard software with no ground commands, DART made rendezvous with
MUBLCOM on 16 April 2005 at about 4h00 UTC. The plan was to stationkeep
within a few meters but not make physical contact. Initial reports said
DART closed to within 100 meters, but then detected that it was running
unexpectedly low on propellant and backed off from the target to end its
mission prematurely. Alarmingly, it now seems that DART collided gently
with MUBLCOM, changing its orbit by a tiny amount. It's still not clear
if this was a physical collision, or the effect of DART's rocket plume
hitting MUBLCOM.
In any case, this
is bad news for the robotic rendezvous tech, as you want to avoid unwanted
collisions above all - software should have aborted the approach if there
was a chance of hitting the target.
After the
mission, DART's HAPS stage fired again on 18 April to lower its orbit to
394 x 746 km. |
| Notes: |
The mission began on 15 April 2005 with the
16h27 UTC takeoff of Orbital's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft from Vandenberg.
At 17h26:50, passing through the drop box at 123° West longitude and
36° North latitude, the airplane dropped its Pegasus XL cargo and five
seconds later the rocket first stage ignited on its way to space. At 17h36
UTC the Orion 38 solid motor third stage completed its burn at about 500
km altitude and entered orbit. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
; Spacewarn No. 618
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-014A
; |
|
|
.
Spaceway 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #21 ; 2005-015A ; 6318th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
743rd geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
527th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
DirecTV |
|
Source: Boeing |
| Launch: |
26 April 2005 at 7h31 UTC, from
Odyssey platform, by a Zenit-3SL. (The platform was parked at 154°
West longitude on the equatorial Pacific Ocean.) |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 102.8° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Spaceway 1 is a 6,080-kg communications satellite
that provides high-speed internet connections along with digital TV and
other channels to all of North America through its 17 Ku-band transponders.
The spacecraft is a 12.3 kW, 3.4 m x 3.2 m x 5.1 m satellite. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
; Spacewarn No. 618
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-015A
; |
|
|
.
USA 182 / "LACROSSE/ONYX
5"?
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #22 ; 2005-016A ; 6319th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Reconnaissance |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1702nd American
spacecraft (1106th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) |
|
|
| Launch: |
30 April 2005 at 0h50 UTC, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s SLC-40, by a Titan 4B (Titan IV B-30). |
| Orbit: |
481 km x 705 km x 57.0°
712 km x 718 km x 57.0° |
| Mission: |
USA 182 is a reconnaissance satellite. The
payload is strictly classified as are its orbital parameters. Analysts
have suggested that the spacecraft is a radar imaging satellite, the fifth
in the LACROSSE/ONYX series built by Lockheed Martin/Denver. The satellite
has been observed in a 481 x 705 km x 57.0° orbit by hobbyists from
Toronto to Moscow. The satellite used its onboard propulsion system to
circularize the orbit on 4 May 2005. |
| Notes: |
The Titan launch was visible to many along
the East coast of the US. The vehicle core's first stage fell in the ocean
off Newfoundland, safely missing the Hibernia oil platform whose proximity
to the planned impact zone had triggered controversy about the launch in
Canada. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
; Spacewarn No. 618
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-016A
; |
|
|
.
Cartosat
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #23 ; 2005-017A ; 6320th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth-remote sensing |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
40th Indian
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
India Space Research Organization (ISRO) |
|
|
PSLV-C6 preparation and launch (Source;
ISRO)
| Launch: |
5 May 2005 at 4h45 UTC, from
Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Launch Center's SLP, by a PSLV (PSLV-C6). |
| Orbit: |
620 km x 622 km x 97.9° x 97.1 min. |
| Mission: |
CartoSat 1 is a 1.56-tonne mapping and remote-sensing
satellite, its data will help in topographic mapping, land use, forest
cover, and river flow assessment. The spacecraft carries two f/4.5, Panchromatic
cameras.. Together they enable a stereoscopic image at a resolution of
2.5 meters. Both cameras scan cross-track to image a swath of 30 km. |
| Notes: |
The launch inaugurated a second PSLV pad
at the Satish Dhawan Launch Center on Sriharikota Island. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
; Spacewarn No. 619
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-017A
; ISRO's CARTOSAT
; |
|
|
.
HAMSAT / VUSAT
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #24 ; 2005-017B ; 6321st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications (radio-amateur) |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
41st Indian
satellite ; 96th Amateur satellite
; |
| Sponsor: |
India’s AMSAT-VU |
|
Source: ISRO
|
| Launch: |
5 May 2005 at 4h45 UTC, from
Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Launch Center's SLP, by a PSLV (PSLV-C6). |
| Orbit: |
608 km x 646 km x 97.9° x 97.24 min. |
| Mission: |
HAMSat is a 43-kg microsatellite that relays
amateur VHF radio communications. It is a small secondary amateur satellite
from AMSAT-VU, the Indian branch of the amateur satellite organization. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 547
; Spacewarn No. 619
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-017B
; ISRO's HAMSAT ; |
|
|
.
NOAA 18
| Spacecraft: |
NOAA-N / NOAA POES (Polar Orbiting
Environmental Satellite) |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #25 ; 2005-018A ; 6322nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Meteorology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1703rd American
spacecraft (596th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) |
|
|
| Launch: |
20 May 2005 at 10h22 UTC, from
Vandenberg Air Force Base’s SLC-2W, by a Delta II 7320. |
| Orbit: |
847 km x 866 km x 98.74° x 102 min. |
| Mission: |
NOAA 18 is a weather satellite that carries
several weather-related instruments and one Space Environment monitor.
The 1,442-kg spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin using the Advanced
Tiros-N bus. It carries weather imagers, microwave sensors, particle detectors,
an infrared sounder, and the SARSAT-10 search and rescue transponder. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 548
; Spacewarn No. 619
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-018A
; NOAA New
release ; |
|
|
.
DirecTV 8
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #26 ; 2005-019A ; 6323rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
744th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
528th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
DirecTV |
|
|
|
.
Foton M-2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #27 ; 2005-020A ; 6324th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Material processing |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3447th Russian
spacecraft (1063rd civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia |
|
|
| Launch: |
31 May 2005 at 12h00 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
261 km x 302 km x 63° x 93 min. |
| Recovery: |
16 June 2005 at 7h36 UTC |
| Mission: |
Foton M-2 is a 6.3-tonne retrievable craft
that carries three modules: a spherical retrievable unit that houses several
microgravity experiments, a battery pack, and a service module. The retrievable
module carries several units totaling 550 kg to conduct 39 ESA-built experiments.
Among them are experiments in physical sciences, biology, fluid mechanics,
exobiology, material science, and technology demonstration.
Foton M-2 landed
in Kazakstan as scheduled after a successful mission. |
| Notes: |
Built by TsSKB-Progress in Samara, the Foton
satellites are modified versions of the Vostok/Zenit design and have a
recoverable spherical pressurized module used for microgravity and life
science experiments. |
| Notes: |
This is the first Foton launch from Baykonur,.
the first 12 Foton satellites were launched from Plesetsk; they were followed
by launch of Foton-M No. 1 from Plesetsk, which failed seconds after launch,
falling back on the pad and causing one fatality. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 548
& 549
; Spacewarn No. 619
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-020A
; |
|
|
.
Progress M-53 / ISS
18P
| Spacecraft: |
Progress M (7K-TGM) No. 353 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #28 ; 2005-021A ; 6325th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Cargo delivery to the International Space |
| Families: |
108th Progress cargoship (18th to ISS)
; |
| Ranks: |
3448th Russian
spacecraft (1064th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency |
|
|
| Launch: |
16 June 2005 at 23h10 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
351 km x 353 km x 51.6° x 91 min. |
| Reentry: |
7 September 2005 |
| Mission: |
Progress M-53 is an automatic cargo craft
that carried 2.5 tonnes of food, water, fuel, and supplies to the International
Space Station. It docked with the Zvezda module "manually" (after a glitch
in a communications link) on 18 June at 0h44 UTC, with commands from the
Russian Commander on-board the ISS. Commander Krikalyov took manual remote
control following a communications failure and used the TORU system to
guide the vehicle in.
The Progress undocked
from the Zvezda module on 7 September 2005 at 10h26 UTC. It fired its deorbit
engine at 13h26 UTC to lower perigee to 56 km, leading to reentry over
the Pacific half an orbit later. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 549
& 554
; Spacewarn No. 620
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-021A
; |
|
|
.
Molniya 3
| Spacecraft: |
Molniya-3K |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #29 ; 2005 1st loss ; 6326th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
689th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
3449th Russian
spacecraft (1065th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia Defense ministry |
|
|
| Launch: |
21 June 2005 at 0h49 UTC, from
Plesetsk Cosmodrome’s LC-16/2, by a Molniya-M. |
| Orbit: |
n/a |
| Destroyed: |
21 June 2005 |
| Mission: |
The Molniya-3K communications satellite is
built by NPO PM and provides communications and probably video for the
Russian Ministry of Defense. Historically Molniya-3 satellites also provided
civil communications; the last regular Molniya-3 was launched in 2003 (Molniya
3-53). This launch was the second Molniya-3K, following the
prototype launched in 2001 (Molniya
3-52). |
| Notes: |
A Molniya 8K78M rocket launch failed to reach
orbit as the Blok-I third stage, the Blok-ML fourth stage and the Molniya-3K
satellite payload crashed in the Tyumen region of Siberia. Initial reports
said the vehicle engine malfunctioned 4 minutes and 58 seconds after launch,
at the time of stage 2/3 separation, either because the Blok-I failed to
ignite or the Blok-A second stage failed to separate cleanly. A later report
has suggested one of the liquid strapon boosters (Blok B, V, G or D) had
a problem; again, details are still coming in.
Since the Molniya is basically
a Soyuz-U with a fourth stage, this failure could have delay Soyuz
launches; a commercial US satellite, Galaxy 14,
and a Progress cargo ship launch are scheduled
for August -- but this did not happened. This is the first failure of a
Soyuz/Molniya vehicle since the disastrous 2002 launch-pad explosion of
the Soyuz carrying the first Foton
M, and the two 1996 Soyuz failures caused by nose fairing problems.
One famous previous case of stage 2/3 separation Soyuz
was in April 1975 when two Soyuz astronauts had to make an emergency high-g
reentry. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 549
; |
|
|
.
Cosmos-1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #30 ; 2005 2nd loss ; 6327th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
690th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
97th Amateur
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
The Planetary Society |
|
|
| Launch: |
21 June 2005 at 19h46 UTC, from
Borisoglebsk BAR, by a Volna. |
| Orbit: |
n/a |
| Destroyed: |
21 June 2005 |
| Mission: |
Cosmos-1 was funded by enthusiasts and private
investors. The spacecraft was loss at launch. After reaching orbit, it
would have deployed 8 blades of aluminized Mylar spanning 30 meters. The
planned 850 km orbit was high enough that solar radiation pressure would
have been big enough compared to atmospheric drag to be measured, resulting
in an expected force of 3 milliNewtons. This would have made Cosmos-1 the
first spacecraft to use solar radiation pressure for propulsion. |
| Notes: |
The Volna submarine-launched ballistic missile
was launched from the K-496 "Borisoglebsk", a Kalmar-class submarine, in
the Barents Sea. The first stage engine of the Volna is reported to have
failed 83 seconds into flight, and it did not separate from the second
stage. The rocket ended its flight 160 seconds after launch; it probably
reached about 200 km high before falling back to Earth. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 549
; |
|
|
.
Intelsat Americas 8
/ IA-8
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #31 ; 2005-022A ; 6328th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
745th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
529th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
Intelsat |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 June 2005 at 14h02 UTC, from
Odyssey platform, by a Zenit-3SL. (The platform was floating on the equatorial
Pacific Ocean at 154° West longitude.) |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 89° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Intelsat Americas 8 is a 5.5-tonne communications
satellite that carries 28 C-, 36 Ku-, and 24 Ka-band transponders to provide
video and data transmissions to all countries in North and South America.
It is the 28th satellite in the Intelsat fleet. Intelsat Americas 8 is
an enhanced Loral LS-1300 satellite with a launch mass of 5,493 kg. The
satellite is owned by Intelsat, the recently privatized communications
company now based in Bermuda. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 549
; Spacewarn No. 620
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-022A
; |
|
|
.
Ekspress AM-3
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #32 ; 2005-023A ; 6329th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
746th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
3450th Russian
spacecraft (1066th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Kosmicheskaya Svyaz (Russian Communications
Satellite Co.) |
|
|
| Launch: |
24 June 2005 at 19h41 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome, by a Proton-K/DM2 (410-10, Blok DM-2 (11S861) No.
103L). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 140° East longitude |
| Mission: |
Express AM-3 is a new domestic Russian communications
satellite that carries 16 C-band, 12 Ku-band and a single L-band transponders
to provide video and radio transmissions to all of Russia and for mobile
communications. The 2.5-tonne spacecraft was built by NPO PM and
carries an Alcatel communications payload with Ku and C band transponders.
The Express AM fleet is replacing the aging fleets of Gorizont and Ekran-M. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 549
; Spacewarn No. 620
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-023A
; |
|
|
.
SJ-7 / Shi Jian 7
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #33 ; 2005-024A ; 6330th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth sciences |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
91st Chinese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
China |
|
|
| Launch: |
5 July 2005 at 22h40 UTC, from
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 2D. |
| Orbit: |
550 km x 569 km x 97.6° x 95.9 min. |
| Mission: |
Shi Jian 7 is a satellite that “monitor the
space environment and conduct other special scientific and technological
experiments during a three year time-span.", according to Xinhua News agency. |
| Notes: |
This is the first CZ-2D used for a non-recoverable
satellite launch and the first launch in the SJ series from Jiuquan since
1981. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 550
; Spacewarn No. 621
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-024A
; |
|
|
.
Astro E2 / Suzaku
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #34 ; 2005-025A ; 6331st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Astronomy |
| Families: |
691st failure
; |
| Ranks: |
92nd Japanese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Japan’s JAXA/ISAS |
|
|
| Launch: |
10 July 2005 at 3h30 UTC, from
Uchinoura Space Center‘s XR, by a M-V. |
| Orbit: |
565 km x 573 km x 31.4° x 96 min. |
| Mission: |
Suzaku is a 1,600-kg astronomy satellite
that was to observe the Universe in the 0.3-700 keV X-ray band, in conjunction
with the currently orbiting
Chandra
and Newton
satellites. The, 500 W, octagonal (2 m x 5 m), triaxially-stabilized spacecraft
carries six instruments, covering the sky between 60°-120° away
from the Sun. The mission has significant participation from NASA and MIT.
Astro-E2 replaces the first Astro
E lost in the M-V-4 launch failure in 2000. It is the first X-ray satellite
to carry a microcalorimeter, providing high resolution spectra from a detector
refrigerated to 1.5 milliKelvin. Astro-E2's spatial resolution is lower
than Chandra and Newton, so it won't be sending back pretty pictures, but
the new XRS spectrometer makes it a breakthrough facility for some kinds
of observation.
Unfortunately, the
Suzaku mission has lost the use of its premier instrument, the XRS on 8
August -- a big blow to X-ray astronomy, following a 15-year struggle to
get the experiment into orbit. Suzaku extended its optical bench on 12
July, completing the most critical events of its early orbit operations.
The XRS instrument was cooled down to 60 milliKelvin and showing good resolution
on the internal calibration source by July 29. Sadly, on around August
7, a leak in the cooler system resulted in loss of the liquid helium, and
without the coolant XRS can't return the planned high resolution spectra.
XRS, the first X-ray
microcalorimeter detector in orbit, was developed by NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center and Japan's ISAS science division of the JAXA space agency.
It was originally planned to be aboard the AXAF (Chandra) mission, then
split off into a separate AXAF-S mission that was later cancelled, and
eventually added to the Japanese ASTRO-E mission which failed in 2000.
Suzaku's other instruments
- four X-ray CCD telescopes and a high energy X-ray detector - are still
being checked out and so far appear to be operating well. |
| Notes: |
The M-V-6 launch vehicle has three solid
stages; it was launched from the Uchinoura Space Center (formerly called
the Kagoshima Space Center). The first stage, M-14, separated 1 minute
after launch; the second stage is the M-25, which separated 3 minutes 20
seconds after launch. The third stage, M-34, is spin-stablized and has
an extending nozzle; it burned for about 1 minute 42 seconds and entered
orbit at about 5 minutes 7 seconds after launch. The M-34/ASTRO-E2 then
maneuvered to put the payload in the correct attitude, and M-34 separated
21 minutes after launch. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 550
& 551
; Spacewarn No. 621
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-025A
; |
|
|
.
STS-114 / RTF
| Spacecraft: |
Space Shutle #114 ; Discovery
(31st flight)
RTF means “Return-to-Flight”, following the
loss of Columbia
in February 2003. |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #35 ; 2005-026A ; 6332nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Piloted spaceship |
| Families: |
247th piloted spaceship (146th American)
; |
| Ranks: |
1704th American
spacecraft (597th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
26 July 2005 at 14h39 UTC, from
Kennedy Space Center's LC-39B, by the Space Shuttle. |
| Orbit: |
|
| Landed: |
9 August 2005 at 12h11 UTC |
| Mission: |
STS-114 was launched 29 months after the
STS-107
accident and puts into orbit Discovery and its crew of 7 astronauts. It
carried several cameras to look out for damage on its own surface and on
the foam covering the external fuel tank. Many more ground-based cameras
and radars monitored the initial trajectory after the launch. The shuttle
also carried repair kits to fix tile-related problems and a 15 meter robotic
arm to spot and examine tile degradations. Spectacular camera views from
the External Tank showed minor tile damage during ascent, and the loss
of a half-meter piece of foam from the ET at the time of SRB separation.
Although the foam did not hit Discovery, the failure to stop large foam
loss (a 15-cm piece was also lost from near the bipod ramp) will have to
be investigated and fixed before Atlantis can fly the next mission. Consequently,
40 hours afther the launch, all planned near-future shuttle launches were
cancelled pending yet another reappraisal of the safety issues.
On 28 July at 11h18
UTC, Discovery docked at the Space Station and delivered 12 tonnes of goods
and equipment. Hatch opening was at 12h50 UTC. A first spacewalk was carried
out on 30 July and saw tile repair tests in the payload bay and installation
of a mounting bracket for the ESP-2 stores platform on the Station's Quest
module. A second spacewalk on 1st August saw replacement of the Station's
CMG-1 gyro. A third spacewalk on 3 August saw installation of the
ESP-2 platform, and the removal of two protruding pieces of tile gap-filler
material from the Shuttle's heat shield. Discovery undocked from Station
on 6 August at 7h24 UTC and landed safely on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force
Base. Thus, the Shuttle has completed its return-to-flight mission, but
continuing problems with debris marred the otherwise successful flight.
Finally, Discovery
flew back from California to Florida on top of the NASA 905 ferry aircraft
on 19-21 August. NASA's talking about launching Discovery again in March
2006 on the next mission, STS-121, but it's not yet clear what fixes will
be needed to the External Tank. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 551
& 552
; Spacewarn No. 621
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-026A
; |
|
|
.
FSW 21 / FSW-3 4
| Spacecraft: |
FSW stand for Fanhui Shi Weixing
and mean Experimental Recoverable Satellite. |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #36 ; 2005-027A ; 6333rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Reconnaissance |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
92nd Chinese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
China Defense ministry |
|
|
| Launch: |
2 August 2005 at 7h30 UTC, from
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 2C. |
| Orbit: |
169 km x 547 km x 63° x 91.7 min. |
| Recovered: |
28 August 2005 at about 23h35 UTC. |
| Mission: |
FSW 21 is a recoverable satellite that conducts
"scientific research, land surveying and mapping". The satellite raised
its apogee on 5 and 7 Augsut to a 166 km x 552 km x 63.0°; The orbit
was reboosted to the same altitude on 19 August after the apogee decayed
to 535 km. The recoverable capsule returned to Earth on 29 August,
the same day that FSW 22 was launched. Landing time
was about 23h35 UTC on 28 August (which is 29 August Chinese local time). |
| Notes: |
The FSW program began in 1974 and went through
several versions until launches stopped in 1996, performing both military
imaging and commercial microgravity missions. In 2003, a new series of
FSW satellites (some sources believe their military code-name is Jian Bing
4) came into service, starting with FSW 18. With FSW 22, there are five
launches in this series and we can now see two subgroups : the low perigee
subgroup uses the older Long March 2C rocket and flies for 26 days in 168
x 550 km orbits - presumably for high resolution imaging. The high perigee
subgroup uses the Long March 2D launch vehicle and its satellites operate
in 200 x 320 km orbits, with recovery after 18 days. Their orbits are similar
to the 8-day-duration FSW-1 series of 1987-1993. They are launched in pairs:
a low-perigee mission followed soon after by a high perigee mission. It's
not clear whether the vehicles are two different spacecraft designs or
just different mission profiles for the same spacecraft, but the longer
life for the lower-perigee (and therefore higher fuel use) mission suggests
that it's probably two different designs. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 551,
552&
553;
;
Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-027A
; |
|
|
.
Thaicom 4 / IPSTAR 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #37 ; 2005-028A ; 6334th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
747th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
|
| Sponsor: |
Thailand’s Shin Satellite |
|
|
| Launch: |
11 August 2005 at 8h20 UTC, from
Kourou Space Center, by an Ariane 5GS (V166, Ariane 523). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 120° East longitude |
| Mission: |
Thaicom 4 is a seven-tonne (the most massive
geostationary so far) communications satellite that provides voice, video
and broadband internet services to 14 countries including India, Thailand,
Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, through its 84 Ku-band and 18 Ka-band
spot beams. The spacecraft is a 3,400-kg (dry) Loral LS-1300SX satellite
that carries 3100 kg of propellant for a total launch mass of 6,500 kg. |
| Notes: |
Ariane flight V166 used launch vehicle L523,
the first Ariane 5GS variant. This has the enhanced P240 strapons and uprated
L10 variant of the EPS upper stage, with the standard Ariane 5 Generic
EPC core stage (H158). |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 552
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-028A
; Shin Sat News
Release; |
|
|
.
Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter / MRO
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #38 ; 2005-029A ; 6335th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Planetary probe |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1705th American
spacecraft (598th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 August 2005 at 11h43 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41, by an Atlas V 401 (AV-007). |
| Orbit: |
Interplanetary trajectory, before reching
a Mars orbit. |
| Mission: |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a 2,180-kg
planetary probe that will map the atmospheric, surface and sub-surface
features of Mars. It carries a big camera, the 0.5 meter aperture HiRISE
telescope, which will return high resolution images of the surface. MRO
has 1196 kg of hydrazine propellant. The probe will join the existing fleet
of Mars orbiters: NASA's Mars
Global Surveyor and Mars
Odyssey and ESA's Mars
Express. MRO carries several monitoring instruments and is twice
the mass of other recent Mars missions - back to the scale of the ambitious
but unsuccessful Mars
Observer whose failure helped triggered creation of the faster,
'better, cheaper' missions of the 1990s.
On 10 March 2006,
MRO was inserted into a 426 x 43000 km x 93.3° orbit around Mars. During
aerobraking, the periapsis was lowered to only 105 km, and friction with
the atmosphere lowered to apoapsis. On 30 August, several months of aerobraking
were completed and MRO riased its periapsis to 210 km. After another burn
on 5 September, the spacecraft was in an approximately 289 km x 440 km
x 92.5° orbit around Mars, close to its final science orbit. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 552
& 570
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-029A
; Spaceflight Now's 2014
Stories ; NASA's 2010-2014
NASA News Releases ; |
|
|
.
Galaxy 14
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #39 ; 2005-030A ; 6336th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
748th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
530th commercial
satellite : |
| Sponsor: |
PanAmSat Corp. |
|
|
| Launch: |
13 August 2005 at 23h28 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-31, by a Soyuz-FG/Fregat. |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 125° West longitude. |
| Mission: |
Galaxy 14 is a 2,100-kg communications satellite
that carries 22 C-band transponders to provide entertainment and information
services to cable channels and direct-to-home receivers in North and South
America. Galaxy 14 is part of Panamsat's domestic US satellite network;
it was built by Orbital/Dulles and is based on the Star 2 bus. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 552
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-030A
; PanAmSat News
Release ; Orbital New
Release ; |
|
|
.
OICETS / Kirari
| Spacecraft: |
Optical Inter-orbit Communications
Engineering Test Satellite |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #40 ; 2005-031A ; 6337th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
93rd Japanese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 August 2005 at 21h10 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-109, by a Dnepr. |
| Orbit: |
597 km x 612 km x 97.8° x 96.8 min. |
| Mission: |
OICETS is a 600-kg technology demonstration
satellite that carries an optical communications instrument called LUCE
(Laser-Utilizing Communications Equipment) which has a 10-inch telescope
that acts as a transmitter and receiver to communicate with the ESA's Artemis
satellite. OICETS will study the effect of the irreducible vibrations in
a satellite in maintaining a pointing accuracy of one millidegree that
is required to communicate with another satellite 32,000 km away. |
| Notes: |
It is unusual for Japanese government satellites
to launch on non-Japanese rockets. OICETS was originally intended for the
now-abandoned J-1 light launch vehicle.
Also launched by
that Dneper into orbit was a container with a book of spiritual guidance
written by the Turkmenistan's President Niyazov, to confirm that his country
has "entered the Space Age". |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 553
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-031A
; |
|
|
.
INDEX / Reimei
| Spacecraft: |
Reimei means "Dawn" |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #41 ; 2005-031B ; 6338th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
94th Japanese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Japan’s ISAS |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 August 2005 at 21h10 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-109, by a Dnepr. |
| Orbit: |
603 km x 649 km x 97.8° x 97.2
min. |
| Mission: |
Reimei is an experimental 70-kg microsatellite,
an ISAS/JAXA in-house test satellite with new lightweight satellite components,
and a demonstration auroral imager payload. It carries components and technologies
such as fiber optic gyroscope to improve attitude control, more efficient
solar panels, and a manganese lithium ion battery that will be exposed
to the radiation environment in space to test ruggedness. It also carries
energetic ions/electrons detectors to derive the energy spectra of the
particles that cause auroras. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 553
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-031B
; |
|
|
.
Monitor-E
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #42 ; 2005-032A ; 6339th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth-remote sensing |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3451st Russian
spacecraft (1067th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia |
|
|
| Launch: |
26 August 2005 at 18h34 UTC,
from Plesets Cosmodrone, by a Rokot. |
| Orbit: |
524 km x 544 km x 97.6° x 95.3 min. |
| Mission: |
Monitor-E No. 1 is the first Monitor Earth
observing platform, a 825-kg prototype carrying 8-meter and 20-meter resolution
cameras. It images Earth's surface at a resolution of eight meters in color
as well as in black-and-white, providing input for agricultural estimates,
pollution levels, and disaster management. The satellte's Yachta bus is
1.2-meter high at launch A mockup (Monitor-E
GVM) was launched on an earlier Rokot flight in 2003. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 553
; Spacewarn No. 622
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-032A
; |
|
|
.
FSW 22 / FSW-3 5
| Spacecraft: |
FSW stand for Fanhui Shi Weixing
and mean Experimental Recoverable Satellite. |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #43 ; 2005-033A ; 6340th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Reconnaissance |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
93rd Chinese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
China Defense ministry |
|
|
|
.
Kosmos 2415 / Kometa
| Spacecraft: |
11F660 Kometa |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #44 ; 2005-034A ; 6341st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth mapping |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3452nd Russian
spacecraft (2384th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia Defense ministry |
|
|
| Launch: |
2 September 2005 at 9h50 UTC,
from Baykonir Cosmodrom’s LC-31, by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
196 km x 281 km s 64.9° s 89.3 min |
|
15 October 2005 at 21h44 UTC, |
| Mission: |
This Russian Defense ministry satellite,
with the cover name Kosmos 2415, is believed to be an 11F660 Kometa mapping
satellite. Its initial orbit (197 km x 284 km x 64.8°) is consistent
with this. The last Kometa mission was in 2000. Kometa is built by TsSKB-Progress
of Samara, who also build the Soyuz-U rocket.
On 15 October 2005,
Kosmos 2415 completed its standard 44-day mission with a landing at 21h44
UTC, according to analyst Phillip Clark. (A landing 24 hours later is not
entirely ruled out as Space Command reported an Oct 16 landing). |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 553,
554
&
556
;
Spacewarn No. 623
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-034A
; |
|
|
.
Progress M-54 / ISS
19P
| Spacecraft: |
Progress M (7K-TGM) No. 354 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #45 ; 2005-035A ; 6342nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Cargo delivery to the International Space |
| Families: |
109th Progress cargoship (19th to ISS) ; |
| Ranks: |
3453rd Russian
spacecraft (1068th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency |
|
|
| Launch: |
8 September 2005 at 13h08 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
348 km x 350 km x 51.6° x 91.5 min. |
| Reentry: |
3 March 2006 at 13h05 UTC |
| Mission: |
Progress M-54 is an automatic cargo transportation
spacecraft that carried 2.4 tonnes of food, water, oxygen, fuel and equipment
to supply the International Space Station. It docked with the Zvezda module
automatically on 10 Septemvber at 14h50 UTC.Progress M-54 undocked from
the Zvezda module on 3 March 2006 at 10h06 UTC and fired its engines to
reenter over the Pacific at 13h05 UTC. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 554
& 563
; Spacewarn No. 623
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-035A
; |
|
|
.
Anik F1R
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #46 ; 2005-036A ; 6343rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
749th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
27th Canadian
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Telesat Canada |
|
|
| Launch: |
8 September 2005 at 21h53 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-200, by a Proton-M/Briz-M. |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 107.3° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Anik F1R is a 4-tonne, 10-kW communications
satellite that carries 24 C-band and 32 Ku-band transponders to provide
voice, video and internet communications to all of North America. It replaces
the aging Anik F-1 satellite,
which has been experiencing solar panel power problems. Anik F1R is an
Astrium Eurostar 3000S. |
| Notes: |
Telesat Canada inaugurated Canada's domestic
satellite communications service with the launch of Anik
1 in 1972. The first two 5-tonne Anik F satellites were launched in
1999
and 2003 using Boeing 702 satellites. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 554
; Spacewarn No. 623
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-036A
; |
|
|
.
STP-R1 / Streak / USA
185
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #47 ; 2005-037A ; 6344th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1706th American
spacecraft (1107th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. DARPA |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 September 2005 at 2h24 UTC,
from Vandenberg Air Force Base’s SLC-8, by a Minotaur 1. |
| Orbit: |
296 km x 321 km x 96.3° x 90.69 min. |
| Mission: |
The Streak classified research satellite,
also called STP-R1 under the USAF's Space Test Program, carries experimental
sensors to study the orbital environment. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 554
; Spacewarn No. 623
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-027A
; |
|
|
.
Navstar 53 / USA 183
| Spacecraft: |
Navstar SVN 57 / GPS 2R-14 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #48 ; 2005-038A ; 6345th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Navigation |
| Families: |
57th Navstar satellite
; |
| Ranks: |
1707th American
spacecraft (1105th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Department of Defense |
|
 |
| Launch: |
26 September 2005 at 3h38 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s SLC-17A, by a Delta II 7925. |
| Orbit: |
Initial: 266 km x 20,328 km x 39.62°
x 357 min (later circularized at 20,000 km) |
| Mission: |
Navstar 57 is a military navigation satellite.
It is first Block IIR-M version has the same basic design as the IIR satellites
using the Lockheed Martin 4000 series satellite, but adds extra navigation
signals for both civil and military users. Navstar 57 has three more
frequency channels (two military and one civilian), It is more secure against
jamming and radiation than the older models. It will be positioned in Slot
4 of Plane C, taking over the duties of the aging Navstar
2A-11 (launched in 1993). |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 554
& 555
; Spacewarn No. 623
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-038A
; |
|
|
.
Soyuz TMA-7 / ISS 11S
| Spacecraft: |
Soyuz 11F732 (7K-STMA) No. 217 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #49 ; 2005-039A ; 6346th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Piloted spaceship |
| Families: |
248th piloted spaceship (101st Russian) ; |
| Ranks: |
3454th Russian
spacecraft (1069th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency & NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
1st October 2005 at 3h55 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by a Soyuz-FG. |
| Orbit: |
346 km x 347 km x 51.64° x 91.47 min. |
| Landed: |
8 April 2006 at at 23h48 UTC |
| Mission: |
Soyuz TMA-7 is a transport spaceship that
carried a Russian cosmonaut (Valery Tokarev, Commander), an American astronaut
(Bill McArthur, Fflight Engineer) and a tourist (Greg Olsen, Spaceflight
Participant) to the International Space Station. The spacecraft docked
automatically with the Pirs module on 3 October at 5h30 UTC. Onboard ISS,
McArthur became the Expedition 12 Commander and Tokarev the Flight Engineer.
On 8 April 2006,
McArthur, Tokarev and Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes transferred into
Soyouz TMA-7, closing the hatches at 17h15 UTC and undocking from Zvezda
at 20h28 UTC, leaving Vinogradov and Williams as Expedition 13 in charge
of the station. The spacecraft fired its engines at 22h58 UTC for the deorbit
burn and landed in Kazakhstan at 23h48 UTC. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 554,
555
&
563
;
Spacewarn No. 624
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-039A
; |
|
|
Cryosat
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #50 ; 2005 3rd loss ; 6347th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth science |
| Families: |
692nd failure
; |
| Ranks: |
254th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
ESA |
|
|
| Launch: |
8 October 2005 at 15h02
UTC, from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-133, by a Rokot . |
| Orbit: |
n/a |
| Mission: |
Cryosat, which would have studied polar ice
to look for effects of global warming, failed to reach orbit. Because of
a software error, the Rokot second stage failed to shut down and did not
separate from the third stage. The vehicle impacted in the Arctic. There
is some hope that this important mission will get a reflight. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; |
|
|
..
Shenzhou 6
| Spacecraft: |
Shenzhou means Divine Ship |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #51 ; 2005-040A ; 6348th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Piloted spaceship |
| Families: |
249th piloted spaceship ; |
| Ranks: |
94th Chinese
satellite (2nd Chinese) ; |
| Sponsor: |
China |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 October 2005 at 1h00 UTC,
from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 2F. |
| Orbit: |
330 km x 337 km x 42.4°
342 km x 350 km x 42.4° x 91.46 min. |
| Recovery: |
16 October 2005 at 20h32 UTC. |
| Mission: |
Shenzhou 6 is a piloted spaceship that carried
two Chinese taikonauts (Fei Junlong and Nie Haishen). This China's second
manned mission featured, for the first time, the use by the crew of the
Shenzhou orbital module. On the fifth day of the flight, the re-entry capsule
parachuted down on Inner Mongolia. |
| Notes: |
In his report
on the Shenzhou 6 mission, Mark Wade remarks: ”Details of the activities
of the astronauts during the mission were amazingly scant, despite 24/7
coverage on Chinese television. This, and the release of only a few pictures
of the interior module, with most of the instruments covered, led to the
suspicion that most experiments were military in nature." |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 624
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-040A
; Encyclopedia Astronautica's
Shenzhou
6 ; |
|
|
.
Shenzhou 6 OM
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #52 ; 2005-40 ; 6349th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
95th Chinese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
China |
|
|
| Launch: |
12 October 2005 at 1h00 UTC,
from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 2F. |
| Orbit: |
342 km x 350 km x 42.4° x 91.46 min. |
| Mission: |
After the Shenzhou
6 piloted capsule returned to Earth, the Orbital Module continued to
do scientific research. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 624
; |
|
|
.
Syracuse 3A
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #53 ; 2005-041A ; 6350th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
750th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
255th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
France's Délégation Générale
des Armements |
|
|
|
.
Galaxy 15 / “Zombiesat”
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #54 ; 2005-041B ; 6351st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
751st geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
521st commercial
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
PanAmSat |
|
|
| Launch: |
13 October 2005 at 22h32 UTC,
from Kourou Space Cener's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5GS (V168, Ariane 524). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 72° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Galaxy 15 is a 1,760-kg communications satellite
that carries 24 C-band transponders and a few in L-band to provide direct-to-home
video entertainment and information. It also relays GPS transmissions to
aircraft to facilitate their landing. The spacecraft was built by Orbital
Sciences using the Star 2 platform.
On 5 April 2010,
the satellite stopped responding to commands after an electrical anomaly.
It also began a slow drift east along the equator, as its communications
payload continued to broadcast television signals - an unprecedent event..
The “Zombiesat”, as Galaxy 15 was then nicknamed, threatens to interfere
with other spacecraft as it moved uncontrollably through geosynchronous
orbit. The mishap set off nearly nine months of flybys as Galaxy 15 started
sliding toward other satellites. There was never a threat of a physical
collision between satellites, but Intelsat and competing operators worked
together to minimize interference with television programming across North
America. Overall, there were 15 flybys which had very little, if
any, impact on service.
The malfunction
was attributed to electrostatic discharge, or shock from static electricity,
as engineers ruled out a solar flare as the reason for the problem. Control
of the satellite was in late December 2010 and Intelsat returned the spacecraft
to normal mode on 27 December. The recovery proved the source of the satellite’s
problems was in its software and not indicative of a hardware issue. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 624
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-041A
; SpaceflightNow, 18
May 10, 25
Jul 10, 15
Sep 10, 31
Dec 10, 14
Jan 11 ; |
|
|
.
Improved CRYSTAL / USA
186
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #55 ; 2005-042A ; 6352nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Reconnaissance |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
1708th American
spacecraft (1109th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. National Reconnaissance Office |
|
|
| Launch: |
19 October 2005 at 18h05
UTC, from Vandenberg Air Force Base's SLC-4E, by a Titan 4B (4B-26). |
| Orbit: |
264 km x 1050 km x 97.9° |
| Mission: |
USA 186 is a NRO-commissioned reconnaissance
spacecraft placed into polar orbit. Neither the payload nor the orbital
information is available. But hobbyists have observed the satellite and
determined its orbit to be 264 km x 1050 km x 97.9 deg. This confirms that
this is an Improved CRYSTAL satellite (KH-11 derived) imaging reconnaissace
satellite, replacing the
Improve
Crystal 4 launched in 1996. |
| Notes: |
This launch marks the end of the Titan 4
era which began in 1986, soon after the Challenger
tragedy, so as to free the Pentagon from dependency on NASA's Space Shuttles.
For the 368th and last time, a Titan rocket was launched, signaling the
end of an era that began in 1959. Titan's past included many high-profile
missions, including boosting Gemini manned spacecraft into orbit. Of the
368 Titan launches, 200 took place at Vandenberg. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 624
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-042A
; New York Times, 20 Oct 05 ; |
|
|
.
Beijing-1 / Tsinghua
2
(China-DMC +4)
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #56 ; 2005-043A ; 6353rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth imaging |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
96th Chinese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Cnina's Beijing Landview Mapping Information
Technology Co. Ltd (BLMIT) |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
Beijing-1 (China-DMC), built by Surrey Satellite,
is part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation and is operated by Tsinghua
University for a Chinese company (Beijing Landview Mapping Information
Technology Ltd). It carries a 31-cm mapping telescope with a resolution
of 4 meters. |
| Notes: |
This nine micro- and pico-satellites launch
carried some confusion: some sources reported the launch of a SAFIR satellite,
other list an Iranian MESBAH 1, etc. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043A
; SSTL's Beijing-1
: |
|
|
.
TopSat
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #57 ; 2005-043B ; 6354th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth imaging |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
256th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.K. Ministry of Defense/QinetiQ |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
TopSat is a British microsatellite that provides
low-cost 2.5-meter resolution, black and white Earth images, and 5-meter
resolution color images. Built by Surrey Satellite, Topsat will be used
for UK military research. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043B
; SSTL's TopSat ;
QuinetiQ's TopSat
; |
|
|
.
SSETI-Express
| Spacecraft: |
Student Space Exploration and
Technology Initiative-Express |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #58 ; 2005-043C ; 6355th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
693rd failure
; |
| Ranks: |
257th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
European Union's Student Space Exploration
and Technology Initiative |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
SSETI-Express is a 62-kg Swedish microsatellite
that take pictures of the Earth and facilitate Amateur Radio links. SSETI-Express
is a student-built satellite sponsored by the European Space Agency. The
spacecraft carried three 1-kg Cubesats picosatellites -– UWE-1,
NCube-2
and XI-V – which were release shortly after
8h30 UTC. SSETI Express lost power by 20h20 UTC on the day of launch. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043E
; |
|
|
.
Sihah 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #59 ; 2005-043D ; 6356th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Earth remote sensing |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
Irinian 1st satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Iranian Research Organisation for Science
and Technology |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
Sihah 1 (or Sina 1), the first Iranian satellite,
is a 160-kg experimental payload built by Russia's Polyot and carries a
remote sensing (some reports implausibly allege `spy satellite') payload.
Iranian press reports that it is intended for "telecommunications and research".
The satellite is 0.8 x 1.3 x 1.6-meter in size. |
| Notes: |
Earlier reports were confused: another Iranian
satellite, a 100-kg class satellite called Mesbah built by Italy's Carlo
Gavazzi Space and based on the MITA satellite bus was also meant to be
aboard, but has reportedly been delayed. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043D
; |
|
|
.
UWE 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #60 ; 2005-043E ; 6357th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
258th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
German (University of Wurzburg) |
|
|
|
.
CubeSat XI-V
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #61 ; 2005-043F ; 6358th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
96th Japanese
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Japan's (University of Tokyo) |
|
|
|
.
NCube-2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #62 ; 2005-043C ; 6359th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
694th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
259th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Norway' sUniversity of Technology (Norsk
Romsenter) |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
NCube-2, a Norwaygian micro-satellites, was
supposed to have been released from SSETI-Express,
but it has not been heard from and its separation has not been confirmed. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; |
|
|
.
Mozhayets 5 (RS-25)
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #63 ; 2005-043G ; 6360th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
695th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
3455th Russian
spacecraft (1070th civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia's Mozhaisky Military Space Academy |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
Mozhaets-5, an experimental satellite, carries
a laser communications experiment. It failed to separate from the rocket
final stage and controllers haven't established communications with it.
Mozhayets 5 was developed by the cadets in Mozhaisky Military Space Academy. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043G
; |
|
|
.
Rubin 5
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #64 ; 2005-043G ; 6361st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
260th European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Gernamy's OHB-System |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 October 2005 at 6h52 UTC,
from Plesetsk Cosmodrome's LC-132/1, by a Kosmos-3M. |
| Orbit: |
683 km x 707 km x 98.18° x 98.7 min. |
| Mission: |
Rubin-5 is a technology/communications payload
using the ORBCOMM system. Iit remains intentionally attached to the rocket
final stage (it is part of the adapter used to deploy the other satellites).
It includes the AATiS SAFIR-S amateur transponder and the ESA ASOLANT solar-powered
GPS antenna experiment. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 556
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-043G
; |
|
|
.
Inmarsat 4 F2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #65 ; 2005-044A ; 6362nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
752nd geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
261st European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Inmarsat |
|
|
| Launch: |
8 November 2005 at 14h07 UTC,
from Odyssey platform, by a Zenit-3SL.
(The floating platform was stationned in
the equatorial Pacific Ocean at 154° West longitude.) |
| Orbit: |
Geostarionary at 53° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Inmarsat 4-F2 is a six-tonne, 13-kW communications
satellite that provides video, data, video-conferencing and Internet services
to North and South America as well as to Pacific and Atlantic ocean-based
receivers, through 200 spot-beams. The spacecraft is an Astrium/Toulouse
Eurostar 3000 bus with a large 10-meter diameter antenna with a launch
mass of 5,958 kg. It is part of the London-headquartered INMARSAT network
that is closely linked with the international GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress
and Safety System). |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 557
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-044A
; |
|
|
.
Venus Express (VEX)
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #66 ; 2005-045A ; 6363rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Planetar probe |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
262nd European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
ESA |
|
|
| Launch: |
9 November 2005 at 3h33 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-31, by a .Soyuz-Fregat |
| Orbit: |
Some 200 km x 66,000 km around Venus. |
| End of mission: |
November 2014. |
| Mission: |
Venus Express is a planetary probe that will
monitor the Venus atmosphere for at least two Venusian days (486 Earth
days). The 1.3-tonne (including 570 kg of fuel), 1.1-kW, 1.5 x 1.8
x 1.4 meter craft carries seven instruments to monitor the atmospheric
circulation and weather pattern: the VMC Venus Monitoring Camera,
the VIRTIS ultraviolet-visible-infrared imaging spectrometer, the SPICAV
solar-stellar ultraviolet/infrared spectrometer, the PFS infrared planetary
fourier spectrometer, the ASPERA plasma instrument, the VERA Venus Radio
Science instrument, and a magnetometer. VEX was built as a low-cost
copy of the Mars
Express design, which itself used the basic bus developed for
the Rosetta
comet probe..
Venus Express passed
lunar orbit on 10 November 2005 at 10h10 UTC and by November 24 was in
a 0.702 x 0.993 AU orbit around the Sun with an inclination of 0.26°
to the ecliptic. It will arrive in Venus orbit on 11 April 2006 at around
8h40 UTC. It will then gradually descend to a stable orbit with a high-point
at 66,000 km and low-point at 250 km, Venus Express arrived in orbit
around Venus on 11 April 2006. The 53-minute orbit insertion burn begain
at 7h10 UTC and left VEx in a highly elliptical polar orbit around Venus
with an apoapsis of 350,000 km.
Venus Express arrived
at Venus in April 2006 for a planned 500-day mission. It spent most of
its time circling the planet in an orbit from about 200 kilometers up to
66,000 kilometers. The space probe provided a comprehensive study of the
planet’s ionosphere and atmosphere during an 8-year mission. It found
evidence of lava flows on Venus indicating active volcanism within the
last 2.5 million years. It also sensed fluctuations in concentrations of
sulphur dioxide in the upper atmosphere, a finding that could be explained
by volcanic activity. Venus Express also discovered that a day on Venus
— which lasts 243 Earth days — had shortened by six-and-a-half minutes
since Magellan mission measured the planet’s rotation more than 20 years
ago. Data from Venus Express also support the theory that the planet was
once more hospitable for life, with measurements indicating Venus once
harbored significant water, perhaps enough to fill oceans on its surface.
Venus Express was
built out of spare parts from ESA’s Mars Express and Rosetta missions.
ESA developed and launched the low-budget mission for 220 million euros,
or about $270 million, at 2005 values.
Venus Express has
run out of fuel in December 2014 and will burn up in the atmosphere of
Venus in January 2015 after a successful eight-year mission. Ground controllers
lost contact with the probe on 28 November 2014. |
| Notes: |
VEX was launched by a Starsem Soyuz-FG/Fregat,
Starsem being a French company closely related to Arianespace which markets
the Soyuz in its Europeanized FG/Fregat version. Venus Express arrived
in orbit around Venus on 11 April 2006. The 53-minute orbit insertion burn
begain at 7h10 UTC and left VEx in a highly elliptical polar orbit around
Venus with an apoapsis of 350,000 km. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No 557
& 563
; Spaceflight Now's 2014
Stories ; Spacewarn
No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-045A
; |
|
|
.
Spaceway 2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #67 ; 2005-046A ; 6364th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
753rd geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
522nd commercial
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
DirecTV |
|
Source: Boeing
|
| Launch: |
16 November 2005 at 23h46 UTC,
from Kourou Space Center's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5ECA (V167, Ariane 522) |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 99° West longitude |
| Mission: |
Spaceway 2 is a 6-tonne, 12.3-kW communications
satellite that carries 48 Ka-band transponders to provide high-speed, high-definition
video and internet services to DirecTV customers in North America. This
massive broadcasting satellite (with a launch mass of 6,116 kg) is a Boeing/El-Segundo
seres 702-2000 satellite |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 557
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-046A
; |
|
|
.
Telkom 2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #68 ; 2005-046B ; 6365th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
754th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
Indonesian satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Indonesia |
|
|
| Launch: |
16 November 2005 at 23h46 UTC,
from Kourou Space Center's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5ECA (V167, Ariane 522). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary at 118° East longitude |
| Mission: |
Telcom 2 is a 1.9-tonne, triaxially-stabilized
telecommunications satellite that carries 24 C-band transponders and spot-beams
to provide high-speed communications for Internet, data, voice and video
services to Indonesia. This satellite continued the series serving the
archipelago that began with Palapa-1 in 1976. It is an Orbital's Star 2
small geostationary satellite bus. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 557
; Spacewarn No. 625
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-046B
; |
|
|
.
Progress M-55 / ISS
20P
| Spacecraft: |
Progress M (7K-TGM) No. 355 |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #69 ; 2005-047A ; 6366th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Cargo delivery to the International Space
Station |
| Families: |
110th Progress cargoship (20th to ISS) ; |
| Ranks: |
3456th Russian
spacecraft (1071st civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Federal Space Agency |
|
|
| Launch: |
21 December 2005 at 18h38 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1/5 , by a Soyuz-U. |
| Orbit: |
Initial : 192.8 km x 255.9 km x 51.66°
x
88.69 min. |
| Dorbit: |
19 June 2006 at 17h41 UT over the Pacific. |
| Mission: |
Progress M-55 transport cargo vehicle delivers
necessary cargoes to the International Space Station to continue its manned
operation, support living and working conditions for the crew. It carries
about 2.5 tones of various cargoes, including scientific hardware and equipment
to perform onboard activities under the foreign partners programs. In addition,
the cargoship is also bringing cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and astronaut William
McArthur chocolate, two red holiday caps and gifts from their families.
The cargocraft docked with the Pirs module on 23 December 2005 at 19h46
UT. The Progress M-55 undocked from the Pirs module at 14h06 UT on 19 June
2006. It fired its engines at 17h06 UT to lower its orbit into the atmosphere,
and reentered at 17h41 UT over the Pacific. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. 559
& 566
; Spacewarn No.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-047A
; RSC Energia News
21
Dec 05 ; |
|
|
.
Gonets D1M1
| Spacecraft: |
Gonets D1M 2416 (Strela
3?) |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #70 ; 2005-048A ; 6367th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3457th Russian
spacecraft (1072nd civilian) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russia |
|
|
|
..
Kosmos 2416 /Rodnik
#1
| Spacecraft: |
Rodnik (Strela 3?) |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #71 ; 2005-048B ; 6368th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Tactical communications |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
3458 th Russian
spacecraft (2385th military) ; |
| Sponsor: |
Russian Defense ministry |
|
|
|
..
Insat 4A
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #72 ; 2005-049A ; 6369th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
755th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
42nd Indian
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) |
|
Source: ISRO
|
| Launch: |
21 December 2005 at 22h33 UTC,
from Kourou Space Center's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5GS (V155, Ariane 525). |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary |
| Mission: |
The three-axis stabilized INSAT 4A carries
a mixed payload of 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders, and is the first
in India's new INSAT 4A telecommunications spacecraft series that will
provide coverage over the Indian subcontinent. It was designed, built and
integrated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and it had
a liftoff mass of approximately 3,200 kg. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. ; Spacewarn
No. ; National Space Science
Data Center's 2005-049A
; Arianespace's
News; |
|
|
.
MSG-2 / Meteosat 9
| Spacecraft: |
MSG means Meteosat Second Generation |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #73 ; 2005-049B ; 6370th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Meteorology |
| Families: |
756th geostationary
satellite ; |
| Ranks: |
263rd European
satellite ; |
| Sponsor: |
European Meteorological Satellite organization
(Eumetsat). |
|
|
| Launch: |
21 December 2005 at 22h33 UTC,
from Kourou Space Center's ELA-3, by an Ariane 5GS (V155, Ariane 525) |
| Orbit: |
Geostationary |
| Mission: |
The MSG-2 platform is a spin-stabilized spacecraft
developed by Alcatel Alenia Space to provide high-resolution images of
the Earth's weather activity for the European Meteorological Satellite
organization (Eumetsat). The 2,034-kg. satellite also will measure the
planet's radiation balance for information on climate change. (See
MSG-2 first
image.) |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. ; Spacewarn
No. ; National Space Science
Data Center's 2005-049B
; Arianespace's
News
; Eumetsat's 22
Dec 05 ; |
|
|
.
Kosmos 2417
| Spacecraft: |
GLONASS means GLOobal NAvigation
Satellite System |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #74 ; 2005-050A ; 6371st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Navigation |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
|
| Sponsor: |
Russian Defense ministry |
|
|
|
..
Kosmos 2418
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #75 ; 2005-050B ; 6372nd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Navigation |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
|
| Sponsor: |
Russian Defense ministry |
|
|
|
..
Kosmos 2419
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #76 ; 2005-050C ; 6373rd spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Navigation |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
Russian Defense ministry |
| Sponsor: |
|
|
|
|
..
Giove A
| Spacecraft: |
GIOVE A stand for Galileo In-Orbit
Validation Element A (formerly known as GSTB-V2/A (Galileo System Test
Bed Version 2). |
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #77 ; 2005-051A ; 6374th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
|
| Sponsor: |
European Space Agency (ESA) and European
Commission (EC). |
|
|
| Launch: |
28 December 2005 at 5h19 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-31/6, by a Soyuz-Fregat . |
| Orbit: |
circular at 23,258 km x 56° |
| Mission: |
Giove A, the first Galileo in-orbit validation
element, is the first step to full operability of Europe’s new global navigation
satellite system. Built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) of Guildford,
UK, this 600-kg satellite has a threefold mission: to secure use of the
frequencies allocated by the International Telecommunications Union for
the Galileo system, to demonstrate critical technologies for the navigation
payload of future operational Galileo satellites, and to characterise the
radiation environment of the orbits planned for the Galileo constellation.
Giove A carries two redundant, small-size rubidium atomic clocks, each
with a stability of 10 nanoseconds per day, and two signal generation units,
one able to generate a simple Galileo signal and the other, more representative
Galileo signals. These two signals will be broadcast through an L-band
phased-array antenna designed to cover all of the visible Earth under the
satellite. Two instruments will monitor the types of radiation to which
the satellite is exposed during its two year mission.
The 3.6 billion-euro
($4.27-billion) Galileo system will be Europe’s global navigation satellite
system, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service
under civilian control. Il will deliver real-time positioning accuracy
down to the metric range with unrivaled integrity.Galileo will be inter-operable
with the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia’s Global Navigation
Satellite System (Glonass), the two other global satellite navigation systems.
It will offer a commercial alternative to the GPS system run by the U.S.
military. Galileo's accuracy in positioning is to be one meter (3 feet)
or less, while the GPS's precision is more than 5 metres. European
officials also say Galileo would never be switched off for strategic reasons,
which might be the case with the GPS.
The Galileo programme
is due to go into service in 2008 and will eventually deploy 30 satellites,
A second demonstrator satellite, Giove B, will be launched nest spring.
Subsequently, four operational satellites will be launched to validate
the basic space and ground segments. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. ; Spacewarn
No. ; National Space Science
Data Center's 2005-051A
; ESA News 28
Dec 05 ; |
|
|
..
AMC-23 / AMERICOM-23
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
2005 payload #78 ; 2005-052A ; 6375th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Communications |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
|
| Sponsor: |
SES AMERICOM |
|
|
| Launch: |
29 December 2005 at 2h28 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-39, by a Proton/Breeze M . |
| Orbit: |
172° East longitude |
| Mission: |
AMC-23 is a 4,981-kg advanced, high-powered
hybrid C/Ku-band satellite, from which signals can be received and sent
from California to Bangladesh, from as far north as Alaska to as far south
as Australia and New Zealand. The spacecraft will serve local, transcontinental
and transoceanic customers across the Pacific region. The design of AMC-23
combines a conventional C-band landmass coverage payload with an innovative
Ku-band oceanic coverage payload. The Ku-band payload, comprised of 20
high-powered transponders has been tailored to the long-haul airline routes
over the Pacific Ocean to ensure consistent and constant broadband connectivity
requirements.. The 18 transponder C-band payload will be used by broadcasters,
cable programmers, Internet service providers, government agencies, educational
institutions, carriers and private networks. AMC-23 is a Spacebus 4000
built by Alcatel Alenia Space and launched by International Launch Services
(ILS). This launch marks the 318th Proton
mission and the 35th ILS mission on a Proton. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report No. ; SpacewarnNo.
; National Space Science Data Center's
2005-052A
; SES AMERICOM
News 22
Dec 05 ; ILS News Overview
; |
|
|
|
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