SPX-541 SPACEWARN Activities A publication of NASA NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S and the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR (All information in this publication was received between 1 November 1998 and 30 November 1998.) A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UT). (USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.) 1998-068A (25546) BONUM 1 22 Nov 1998-067A (25544) ISS-ZARYA 20 Nov 1998-066E (25531) IRIDIUM 83 06 Nov 1998-066D (25530) IRIDIUM 84 06 Nov 1998-066C (25529) IRIDIUM 85 06 Nov 1998-066B (25528) IRIDIUM 86 06 Nov 1998-066A (25527) IRIDIUM 02 06 Nov 1998-065A (25522) PANAMSAT 8 04 Nov 1998-064C (25521) SPARTAN 201-05 01 Nov B. Text of Launch Announcements. 1998-068A BONUM 1 is a Russian geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 23:54 UT. This first private sector spacecraft carries eight 75 W Ku-band transponders that enable 50 channels of direct-TV broadcasts to Russia and Eastern European countries after parking over 36 deg-E longitude. Gallium Arsenide solar cells provide a total power of 1.5 kW. 1998-067A ISS-ZARYA is a Russian-built first module of the International Space Station (ISS) that was launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baykonur at 06:40 UT. The ISS is also known by the Russian acronym MKS, standing for the transliterated Mezhdunarodnii Kosmicheskii Stantsii. (It will require 43 rocket launches, including about 35 Shuttles, over at least a five-year period to complete the 16- country, 60 m x 24 m x 21.5 m, 454 tonne, 110 kW, and $150 billion ISS (or whatever its eventual name/acronym may turn out to be). Zarya ("Dawn") module has a mass of 27 tons and will contribute power, attitude control, fuel, and command/control coordination to the other 33 (USA 18, Russia 9, Japan 3, ESA 2, and Canada 1) modules. No definitive information is currently available regarding ISS's scientific, commercial, or military vision. It is likely that some or all of the science payload now housed in the 140-tonne MIR station may be transferred to the ISS in the event of having to dissemble and deorbit MIR; the orbital parameters of the two are similar. Initial orbital parameters of ISS-ZARYA were period 92 min, apogee 396 km, perigee 384 km, and inclination 51.6 deg. 1998-066A, IRIDIUMs 02, 86, 85, 84,and 83 are communications spacecraft of the 066B,066C, IRIDIUM consortium that were launched by a Delta 2 rocket from 066D,066E Vandenberg AFB at 13:37 UT. The IRIDIUM fleet enables voice and data communications from/to telephones located far away from cellular networks. Initial orbital parameters of all these five were similar: period 95 min, apogee 536 km, perigee 517 km, and inclination 86 deg. 1998-065A PANAMSAT 8 is an American geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baykonur at 05:12 UT. It carries 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders to provide television channels after parking over 166-E longitude. 1998-064C SPARTAN 201-05 is an American solar observatory that was released and recaptured by the Shuttle STS 95. It made 43 hours of solar corona monitoring with its white light (WLC) and ultraviolet (UVCS) cameras. The images may be seen via the URL http://thalia.gsfc. nasa.gov/~gibson/SPARTAN/spartan.html. The data will assist in the recalibration of the SOHO spacecraft instruments; SOHO was resurrected after some months of hibernation. The orbital parameters of SPARTAN were period 95.8 min, apogee 561 km, perigee 551 km, and inclination 28.5 deg. It was retrieved by STS 95 at 08:48 UT on 3 November 1998. C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation. 1. Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric or geodetic studies. (NNSS denotes U.S. Navy Navigational Satellite System; an asterisk [*] indicates updated or new information since the last issue. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with information from the user community.) SEE LIST IN SPX-520. THE LIST WILL REAPPEAR ONLY AFTER MAJOR UPDATES TO THE LIST ARE AVAILABLE. 2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies. ("NNN" denotes no national name. SPACEWARN Bulletin appreciates suggestions to update this list. An asterisk [*] denotes changes in this issue. High precision [< 20 cm] GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International Association of Geodesy [IGS]). FTP: igscb.jpl.nasa.gov [directory /igscb] WWW: http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/ E-Mail: igscb@cobra.jpl.nasa.gov The standard format of the GPS situation appeared in SPX-518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at URL http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem. It provides many links to GPS-related data bases. The latest member of the GPS fleet is NAVSTAR 38 (1997-067A), launched on 6 November 1997. 3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates or additions from readers to this list. An asterisk [*] indicates updates or additions to the list.) All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers invoked by USSPACECOM have sometimes differed from the numbers (NNNN) associated in Russia. The operating frequencies in MHz are computed from the channel number K. Frequencies (MHz) are L1 = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K. The standard format of the GLONASS situation appeared in SPX-515. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source, with the URL http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/glonass.html, maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC), Russian Space Forces. 4. Actual decays or landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. No further information is available. Designations Common Name 1998 1994-028A (23101) MSTI 2 28 Nov 1998-067B (25545) R/B Proton-K 27 Nov 1993-010H (22528) R/B Proton 18 Nov 1990-028A (20546) PEGSAT 14 Nov 1998-053J (25483) R/B Pegasus 07 Nov 1998-064A (25519) STS 95 Landed on 07 Nov 1998-065B (25523) R/B Proton-K 06 Nov 1998-064C (25521) SPARTAN 201-05 Retrievde by STS 03 Nov 1997-058D (25100) INSPEKTOR (Retrieved by MIR?) 02 Nov 5. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information or data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.) NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S is an archival center for science data from many spacecraft. Some data are on line for electronic access. Please contact the Request Office, NSSDC, Code 633, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (REQUEST@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV). Information on the current status of the instruments on board from the investigators will be most welcomed. Precomputed trajectory files and orbital parameters of many magnetospheric and heliospheric science-payload spacecraft may be FTP'ed from NSSDC's ANON_DIR:[000000.ACTIVE] and its several subdirectories. (See the last page of the bulletin for the access method; a file in the ACTIVE directory named AAREADME.DOC outlines the contents.) It can also be accessed through the WWW URL http://sscop1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc.html This HTML also enables executing several codes related to the orbits of many geocentric science payload spacecraft. The codes related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed through the URL http://nssdc/space/helios/heli.html Magnetospheric, planetary, and astronomical science data from many spacecraft may be accessed through links from the URL http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ =========================================================================== SPACEWARN Bulletin The bulletin is intended to serve as an international communication medium for the rapid distribution of information on satellites and space probes. The material it contains is based on guidelines in the COSPAR Guide to Rocket and Satellite Information and Data Exchange, COSPAR Transactions #8, December 1972, and various Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) resolutions. Hard copy recipients and electronic accessers are encouraged to disseminate the bulletin to interested individuals and institutions in their regions or countries. All bulletins beginning with January 1991 (SPX-447) are now available on line; the SPX number increases by one for each succeeding month (for example, the January 1993 bulletin is SPX-471). Through DECnet: At the prompt type: copy nssdca::anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 Through FTP, at the prompt type: ftp nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov At the next prompt type: anonymous At the PASSWORD (NSSDCA.GSFC.GOV.ANONYMOUS) prompt hit: return At the next prompt type: get anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 spx.471 Other subdirectories in [000000.active] carry many files of interest on science payload spacecraft. The bulletin may also be accessed through the World Wide Web (WWW). The URL is http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spacewarn.html. Users are urged to submit their comments and suggestions for the improvement of this bulletin to SPACEWARN Bulletin, World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites, Code 633, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A. Categories of Spacecraft To improve the effectiveness of international distribution of satellite and space probe information via the SPACEWARN system, spacecraft are identified in categories according to the urgency and detail of information needed by the scientific community as follows: CATEGORY 1: Spacecraft that carry essentially continuous telemetry or radio beacons, usually on frequencies less than 150 MHz. CATEGORY 2: GPS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 3: GLONASS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 4: Occasionally, a list of bright, orbiting objects of visual magnitude 4 or brighter. The bulletin also carries launch dates, international IDs, and USSPACECOM catalog numbers, followed by a brief outline of the payload and orbital parameters, re-entry of major objects, and miscellaneous sections. These data are based on launch announcements or on information received from individuals, launching authorities, FBIS and USSPACECOM E-mails, and news magazines.