Home 2012 Summary
2011 Spacecrafts 2013 Spacecrafts
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Spacecrafts launched in 2012:
1) ZY-3 / Ziyuan III 2) VesselSat 2 3) FY-2 (07) / Fengyun 2F 4) WGS 4
5) Chibis-M 6) Progress M-14M / ISS-46P 7) Navid
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ZY-3 / Ziyuan III
Spacecraft:
Chronologies: 2012 payload #1 ; 2012-01A ; 7,121st spacecraft.
Type: Surveillance
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: China
Launch: 9 January 2012 at 3h17 UT, from Taiyuan Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 4B.
Orbit: 498 km x 506 km x 97.5° 
Mission: Ziyuan III is probably a military photo surveillance satellite. It is reported taht the satellite is carrying an electro-optical imaging payload comprising three pointing forward, down and aft. The ground-facing camera has a resolution of 2.5 meters. it  also features an infrared spectrometer. According to Chinese presse, it is a high-resolution remote-sensing satellite for civilian use, was launched weighing 2650 kg. “According to the launch center, the satellite is tasked with offering services to aid the country's land-resources surveys, natural-disaster prevention, agriculture development, water-resources management, and urban planning.” It has a designed life expectancy of five years. 
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 9 Jan 12 ; China Daily's 9 Jan 12, 12 Jan 11 ;
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VesselSat 2
Spacecraft:
Chronologies: 2012 payload #2 ; 2012-01B ; 7,122nd spacecraft.
Type: Communications
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: Orbcomm
Launch: 9 January 2012 at 3h17 UT, from Taiyuan Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 4B.
Orbit: 489 km x 500 km x 97.5°
Mission: VesselSat 2 is a 28.5-kg satellite designed to relay positions of ships around the world. Constructed by LuxSpace of Luxembourg, its services will supplement Orbcomm's next-generation communications satellites due to begin launching this year. 
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 9 Jan 12 ; China Daily's 9 Jan 12 ;
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FY-2 (07) / Fengyun 2F
Spacecraft:
Chronologies: 2012 payload #3 ; 2012-02A ; 7,1123rd spacecraft.
Type: Meteorology
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: China
Launch: 13 January 2012 at 0h56 UT, from Xichang Launch Center, by a Chang Zheng 3A.
Orbit: Geostationary
Mission:
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 12 Jan 12 ; (China Daily failed to report the launch) ;
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WGS 4
Spacecraft: WGS 4 stands for Wideband Global SATCOM 4
Chronologies: 2012 payload #4 ; 2012-03A ; 7,124th spacecraft.
Type: Communications
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Defence
Launch:  20 January 2012 at 0h38 UT, from Canaveral Canaveral Air Force Station's SLC-37B, by a Delta 4M+(5,4).
Orbit:
Mission:
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 11 Oct 11, 17 Nov 11, 4 Jan 12, 17 Jan 12, 20 Jan 12; Boeing's 19 Jan 12 ;
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Chibis-M
Spacecraft:
Chronologies: 2012 payload #5 ; 2011-62C ; 7,125th spacecraft.
Type: Earth/Space Science
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: Roscosmos Russian Space Agency
Launch: Carried onboard Progress M-13M on 30 October 2011 and deployed when the cargocraft undocked from ISS on 24 January 2012 at 23h18 UT.
Orbit:4 493 km x 508 km
Mission: Chibis-M is a microsatellite designed to study plasma waves in the ionosphere and the physical processes behind terrestrial gamma-ray flashes that generate in the vicinity of lightning in thunderstorms. 
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 23 Jan 12 ;
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Progress M-14M / ISS-46P
Spacecraft: Progress M (7K-TGM) No. 414
Chronologies: 2012 payload #6 ; 2012-04A ; 7,126th spacecraft.
Type: Cargo delivery to the International Space Station
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: Roscosmos Russian Space Agency
Launch: 25 January 2012 at 23h06 UT, from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by a Soyuz-U.
Orbit: Initial: 190.97 km x 261.92 km x 51.64° x 88.73 min.
Mission: Progress M-14M is a cargo ship that delivers more than 2.6 tons of various cargoes to the International Space Station. It delivers to the station more than 2.66 tons of cargo, which include propellants, water, oxygen, food, equipment for water supply and life support systems, sanitary/hygienic and medical support equipment, materials and equipment for investigations, on-board documentation, parcels for the crew, as well as 199 kg of cargos for the US segment of the station. 
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 24 Jan 11, 25 Jan 12 ; RSC Energia's 25 Jan 12, 28 Jan 12 ;
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Navid
Spacecraft: Navid translates to promise of science and industry in Persian. 
Chronologies: 2012 payload # ; 2012-A ; 7,1th spacecraft.
Type: Observations
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor: Iran
Launch: 3 February 2012 at 0h04 UT, from Imaging, by a Semnan.
Orbit: 275 km x 374 km x 56.0°
Mission: Navid is a 50-kg satallite which carries a panchromatic imager to  collect weather data and monitor natural disasters. It is reported that the satellite was completely designed and built by Iranian experts at the Science and Technology University in Tehran,
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's 3 Feb 12 ; China Daily's 3 Feb 12 ;
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Spacecraft:
Chronologies: 2012 payload # ; 2012-A ; 7,1th spacecraft.
Type:
Families:
Ranks:
Sponsor:
Launch:  2012 at  UT, from , by .
Orbit:
Mission:
Source: Jonathan Space Report No.  ; NSSDC 2012-0 ; Spaceflight Now's ;
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© Claude Lafleur, 2012 Mes sites web: claudelafleur.qc.ca