From: mcdowell@cfa.harvard.edu (Jonathan McDowell)
Subject: Jonathan's Space Report No.110
Followup-To: sci.space
Organization: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA,  USA
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 15:15:47 GMT

Jonathan's Space Report

No. 110		1992 Apr 13
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Apr 12 marked the 31st anniversary of the first human space flight
by Yuriy A. Gagarin.

The replenishment of the Commonwealth spy satellite system continues
with the launch of Kosmos-2183 by Soyuz from Baykonur in Kazakhstan on
Apr 8 around 1230 UTC. Kosmos-2183 is one of the SNG's most advanced
class of spy satellite, parallel to the US KH-11, and should remain
operational for over 6 months. The initial orbit of Kosmos-2183 was
probably 180x270 km;  on Apr 9 it moved to its operational 240x293 km
orbit inclined 65 deg to the equator.

List of Kosmos-2183 type satellites launched to date:

[Advanced Recon C]

Code	Name		   Launch	Reentry		Life	Initial orbit	Op'l orbit

ARC1	Kosmos-1426	   1982 Dec 28-1983 Mar 4	66	202x356x50.5	200x340x50.5
ARC2	Kosmos-1552	   1984 May 14-1984 Nov 3	173	184x315x64.9	236x327x64.9
ARC3	Kosmos-1643	   1985 Mar 25-1985 Oct 18	207	184x278x64.9	222x295x64.8
ARC4	Kosmos-1731	   1986 Feb  7-1986 Oct  3	238	180x264x64.8	230x260x64.8
ARC5	Kosmos-1770		Aug  6-1987 Feb 2	180	181x281x64.8	239x283x64.8
ARC6	Kosmos-1810		Dec 26-1987 Sep 11	259	187x275x64.8	247x265x64.8
ARC7	Kosmos-1836	   1987 Apr 16-1987 Dec 2	230	180x291x64.8	241x293x64.8
ARC8	Kosmos-1881		Sep 11-1988 Mar 30	201	180x290x64.8	232x276x64.8
ARC9	Kosmos-1936	   1988 Mar 30-1988 May 18	 49	183x269x64.8	230x298x64.8
ARC10	Kosmos-2007	   1989 Mar 23-1989 Aug 25	155	182x278x64.8	230x285x64.8
ARC11	Kosmos-2049	    	Nov 17-1990 Jun 19	214			231x282x64.8
ARC12	Kosmos-2072	   1990 Apr 13-1990 Nov 21	222	183x252x64.8	240x287x64.8
ARC13	Kosmos-2113		Dec 21-1991 Jun 11	172	180x283x64.8	240x282x64.8
ARC14	Kosmos-2153	   1991 Jul 10-1992 Mar 13	247	182x251x64.9	241x281x64.9
ARC15	Kosmos-2183	   1992 Apr  8-						240x293x64.9

The Commonwealth also launched a Gorizont C-band communications
satellite into geostationary orbit on Apr 2. The payload is probably
owned by the RKA (Russian Space Agency). The launch occurred at  about
0200 UTC and the payload and Blok-DM fourth stage were placed in a 150
km orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator. The Blok-DM ignited to
place the combination in a transfer orbit of  250 x 35600 km at 47
degrees, and then re-ignited at apogee to  enter a 1425 minute circular
equatorial orbit, following which the payload separated. Insertion
occurred around 90 deg E longitude and Gorizont drifted east at 2
deg/day until Apr 8 when it braked; late on Apr 8 it was at 103 deg E
drifting W at 0.4 deg/day, suggesting that it is a backup to the 23rd
Gorizont satellite, launched in Jul 1991 and currently on station at
103.2 deg E.

Space Shuttle mission STS-49, the maiden flight of orbiter Endeavour, is
still planned for early May.

____________________________________________
|Current STS status:                       |
|Orbiters               Location   Mission |
|                                          |
|OV-102 Columbia        OPF Bay 3  STS-50  |
|OV-103 Discovery       OPF Bay 2  Mod     |
|OV-104 Atlantis        OPF Bay 1  STS-46  |
|OV-105 Endeavour       LC39B      STS-49  |
|                                          |
|ML/SRB/ET/OV stacks                       |
|                                          |
|ML1/                                      |
|ML2/STS-49/ET/OV-105   LC39B              |
|ML3/STS-50/ET          VAB Bay 3          |
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 |  Jonathan McDowell                 |  phone : (617) 495-7176                |
 |  Harvard-Smithsonian Center for    |                                        |
 |   Astrophysics                     |                                        |
 |  60 Garden St, MS4                 |                                        |
 |  Cambridge MA 02138                |  inter : mcdowell@cfa.harvard.edu      |
 |  USA                               |                                        |
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