May 1982:satellite digest

COSMOS 1328 1981-117A

Launched: 1149. 3 Dec 1981 from Plesetsk by
F vehicle.

Spacecraft data: Not available but the mass is
possibly in the region of 2 tonnes.

Mission: Probably military reconnaissance,
the orbit chosen is similar to those of the two
oceanographic satellites - Cosmos 1076
(1979-11A) and Cosmos 1151 (1980-5A). The
previous launch of this type of satellite was
Cosmos 1300 (1981-82A). The orbital plane
of the new satellite was 44 degrees to the east
of Cosmos 1300 at the time of launch which
suggests the possibility of a system being set
up with a number of operating satellites at 45
degree plane separations.

Orbit: 636 x 664 km. 97.77 min. 82.53 degrees.

COSMOS 1329 1981-118A

Launched: 0950, 4 Dec 1981 from Tyuratam
by A-2.

Spacecraft data: Possibly based on Vostok
manned spacecraft with spherical re-entry
module, instrument unit and a cylindrical,
supplementary payload at the forward end.
Length about 6 m, diameter about 2.4 m.
mass around 6000 kg.

Mission: Military photo-reconnaissance,
recovered after 14 days.

Orbit: Initially, 233 x 261 km. 89.45 min, 65.02
degrees which decayed to 227 x 253 km by the
eighth day of the flight. A series of small
manoeuvres after this resulted in a higher
orbit of 231 x 288 km, 89.71 min on 15 Dec.

INTELSAT 5 (F3) 1981-119A

Launched: 2330, 15 Dec 1981 from the NASA
Kennedy Space Center by Atlas Centaur.

Spacecraft data: The Intelsat 5 vehicle is a box
with an Earth pointing antenna array, power
is supplied by a 16 m span solar array. It is
3-axis stabilised while in geostationary orbit,
though during transfer orbit manoevures spin
stabilisation is used. The vehicle is built up
of three basic units - a support system module
for spacecraft housekeeping, the communications package, and the antenna module. It
has been designed specifically to fit three types
of launch vehicle - Atlas Centaur, the Shuttle
or Ariane. The current flight is intended to
be the last using the Atlas Centaur. In addi-
gion to the equipment needed to sustain
orbital operations,.the support system module
contains a solid propellant apogee boost motor
which took the satellite from its transfer orbit
to the geostationary one. The mass of the
vehicle at launch was 1870 kg, which was
reduced by 863 kg as a result of the apogee
motor firing. A further 200 kg reduction will
occur as attitude control fuel is used.

Mission: To provide radio communications
through 12,000 two-way telephone channels and two colour television channels using freauencies of 4-6 GHz (wide area coverage) and
11 -12 GHz (spot beam). The satellite is owned
by the 106 nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation which has
established a system of nearly 200 ground
stations around the world. Using these and
the satellites, the organisation carries around
60 per cent of trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific
communications.

Orbit: Injected into a 165 x 35940 km,
633 min, 23.6 degree transfer orbit, the apogee
boost motor changed the orbit to a 1440 min,
equatorial drift one. The satellite was later
stabilised above 15 degrees east longitude for
systems checkout.

RADIO 3-8 1981-120A-F

Launched: 1059, 17 Dec 1981 from Plesetsk by C-1.

Spacecraft data: All six satellites are probably
spheroidal or box shaped, around 1 m across
and weighing about 40 kg.

Mission: To provide radio amateurs with
spaceborne radio links. Each satellite can
rebroadcast in the 10 m amateur band (29
MHz) an amateur user's signal transmitted in
the 2 m band (145 MHz). Additionally, the
satellites Radio 5 and Radio 7 can transmit
telemetric data on demand.

Orbits: The lowest orbit is that of Radio 3:
1564 x1660 km, 118.52 min, 82.96 degrees;
and the highest is Radio 8: 1653 x 1682 km,
119.77 min, 82.96 degrees. The satellites were
released during the powered phase of the final
rocket stage’s flight (it reached
1669 x 1680 km, 120.92 min, 82.95 degrees).

COSMOS 1330 1981-121A

Launched: 1151, 19 Dec 1981 from Tyuratam
by A-2.

Spacecraft data: As Cosmos 1329.

Mission: Military photo-reconnaissance, recovered after 31 days.

Orbit: Initially 167 x 379 km, 90.00 min, 70.36
degrees, then manoeuvred several times to
provide specific coverage of particular target
areas. Cosmos 1330 is the first Tyuratam-launched, long life recoverable satellite not to
fly at 65 degrees inclination.

MARECS 1 1981-122A

Launched: 0129, 20 Dec 1981 from Kourou
by Ariane (flight L04).

Spacecraft data: MARECS’ shape is a hexagonal prism 2.5 m high and 2.0 m across. Power
is provided by two solar panels. The mass at
launch was 1006 kg, reducing to 563 kg in
geostationary orbit after the apogee motor
firing. MARECS, like INTELSAT 5, is of
modular construction, though in this case only
two modules are used. The service module is
a derivative of that designed for ECS (Euro¬pean Communications Satellite) and provides
spacecraft housekeeping, support for the two
5.2 m solar panels and three axis stabilisation
by the use of momentum wheels. Station keeping is by hydrazine thrusters. The payload
module with its attached antenna makes up
the second part of the vehicle.

Mission: Ariane flight L04 was the last in the
series of launch vehicle tests before Ariane
itself goes fully operational. In addition to the
MARECS satellite, the vehicle carried the
fourth Ariane Technology Capsule (CAT), a
Vibration Isolator Device (VID) and a scientific experiment to measure density in the
ionospheric plasma surrounding the Earth
(THESEE). These last three were left in the
geostationary transfer orbit after the
MARECS apogee motor firing. The function
of CAT was to make in-flight measurements
of the conditions affecting the payload from
lift off until T+22 minutes when the Ascension Island tracking station lost contact, and
to initiate commands to the MARECS separation devices. The VID was designed to
protect the MARECS payload from launcher
vibration. THESEE was conducted by a Paris
youth club and selected for inclusion after a
competition. Its electron probe collected density information up to 2000 km height.

Orbit:Initially a 220 x 35811 km, 638 min, 10.5
degrees transfer orbit. At the third apogee
MARECS was inserted into a 1431 min drift
orbit for eventual stabilisation above 26
degrees west longitude on 2 Jan 1982.

MOLNIYA-1 (52) 1981-123A

Launched: 1315, 23 Dec 1981 from Tyuratam
by A-2-e.

Spacecraft data: Cylindrical body housing
instrumentation and the payload, surmounted
by a conical motor section. Power is provided
by a "windmill” of six solar panels. Overall
length is 3.4 m and the diameter 1.6 m, mass
around 1800 kg.

Mission: Replacement for Molniya-1 (45). The
satellite helps to operate long distance telephone and telegraph radio communications,
and the broadcasting of Central television
programmes to Orbita receiving stations in
the Soviet far north, Siberia, the Soviet far
east and central Asia.

Orbit: Initially a low parking orbit and then
injected into a highly elliptical one of
.481 x 38964 km, 699.4 min, 62.97 degrees. On
the 15th orbit it was manoeuvred to
507 x 39842 km, 717.66 min, 62.84 degrees to
provide daily repetition of the ground track.