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 MDS-1,
Tsubasa,
2002-003A - The Mission Demonstration Satellite MDS-1, later named Tsubasa
("Wing"), was launched on the 4th February 2002 on an H-IIA
launcher from Tanegashima. The spacecraft was built by NEC for NASDA, and
weighs 449kg. It was placed into an orbit 500x35696km inclined at
28.5degrees. The spacecraft is built using a conventional box structure, and
following deployment of its two solar panels, the spacecraft measures 3.3m
by 1,6m. It is a technology demonstrator to flight-qualify various
commercial components and subsystems. Payload include a parallel computer, a
solid state data recorder, a common pressure vessel (CPV) nickel-hydrogen
battery, and a trial of terrestrial solar cells. It also carries a space
environment experiment to monitor heavy ions, and magnetic fields with a
magnetometer mounted on a 3m boom. The spacecraft design lifetime is 1 year.
More...
[MDS-1
pictures at NASDA][MDS
home page]
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- RHESSI,
2002-004A, 27370
- The RHESSI
spacecraft, the 6th NASA Small Explorer
(SMEX) mission, was built by Spectrum Astro for UC Berkeley the prime
contractor under a contract worth $12m (Jan 1998). The spacecraft is based
on the SA-200S bus and was
launched on the 5th February 2002 from Kennedy Space Centre on a Pegasus XL
launcher. The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Spectroscopic Imager spacecraft will aid the study of solar flares with the goal of providing an understanding of the impulsive
release of energy, efficient acceleration of particles to high energies, and the rapid
transport of energy in fundamental cosmic processes. It will also conduct the first gamma-ray and
neutron imaging of solar flares; and perform simultaneous imaging spectroscopy in
x-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons. The spacecraft weighs 304kg and was placed
into a 600km 38 degree inclined orbit. The mission
is sun
pointing spin stabilised with 0.2degree control, and employ a RAD6000
processor with 4GByte solid state data recorder.
The spacecraft was reported to be damaged during vibration testing in March 2000,
but was repaired still in time for launch towards the end of the solar flare
season at solar maximum. [Florida Today][Space.com].
[HESSI at Spectrum Astro][Hessi at NASA]
- GRACE
(Tom and Jerry),
2002-12A&B
- The two US-German Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
satellites were launched on the 15th March 2002 on a Rokot
(SS-19) launcher from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The spacecraft, nicknamed Tom and
Jerry, were delivered into a 483 x 506 km orbit inclined at 89 degrees
(500km circular intended). They weigh 432kg each. They were manufactured by
Astrium Germany (Formerly Dornier Satelliten Systeme GmbH) and are based on
the FlexBus architecture. The spacecraft will aid in the mapping of the
Earth's gravity field with extreme accuracy; data that may eventually prove
beneficial in prospecting for oil and minerals. The mission design life is 5
years. This allows static gravity maps to be developed with full maps every
30 days, and potentially changes with time can therefore be investigated.
The spacecraft will fly in formation 220km along track, and contain K and
Ka-band intersatellite ranging equipment. Accuracy will be maintained to
better than 10 microns. A Global Positioning Receiver is carried to
reference measurements to location. The main instrument was developed by JPL
for NASA under an US$18m contract (1997). Extensive photo-galleries of the
spacecraft and mission campaign are held by the University of Texas. More...
[Satellite
description at GFZ][Dispenser
design at Eurockot][Grace
at U.o.Texas]
References
[1] The 'Grace
twins' to investigate the Earth system ASTRIUM NEWS RELEASE Posted: June 27,
2001, [www.spaceflightnow.com/ news/n0106/27grace/]
[2] GRACE Multi-Satellite Dispenser Acceptance Test and Fit Check
Successfully Completed, 14 Sep 2000, Eurockot, [www.eurockot.com/
press_092000e.html]
- Haiyang-1
(Ocean-1), 2002-024A
- A 340kg minisatellite developed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
using a similar small satellite bus to Shijian-5. HJ-1 carries a 10-band IR ocean
colour scanner and 4-band CCD camera. The spacecraft was launched on the
15th May 2002 from Taiyuan on a CZ-4B launcher. A constellation of similar
spacecraft is planned.
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Ofek-5, 2002-025A
- An Israeli photo reconnaissance satellite to replace the Ofeq-3
spacecraft launched in 1995. Ofek-4
failed to reach orbit
in early 1998. The satellite weighs 300kg and is similar in shape to the
earlier spacecraft in the series, measuring 2.3m in height and 1.2m in
diameter. It is 3-axis stabilised, and is able to provide off-pointing from
nadir in both roll and pitch. It was launched on a Shavit launcher from
Palmachim on the 28th May 2002 into a 370x600km 143 degree inclined
retrograde orbit. The prime contractor is IAI, with an imager payload
developed by El-Op (Israel) providing 0.5m Ground Sampling Distance. The
spacecraft was declared operational on the 2nd June 2002 and is expected to operate for 4 years.
- References
[1] Israel Launches Recon Satellite, Pushes global space marketing,
AW&ST 3 June 2002.
- [2] OFEQ-5, IAI's New Imaging Satellite
Launched into Space By Means of the Shavit Launcher, IAI news, 28 May 2002,
(http://www.iai.co.il/dows/dows/Serve/item/English/1.1.11.1.47.html)
[3] Israel moves up space
satellite launch (http://www.spaceandtech.com/digest/sd2001-09/sd2001-09-005.shtml)
- COSMOS
2390-1,
2002-037A-B
- The two minisatellites were launched on a KOSMOS-3M
launcher from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on the 8th July 2002. The spacecraft
were put into a 1466x1507km orbit inclined at 82.5 degrees. The two Cosmos spacecraft
are based on the STRELA-3 bus and are part of a military mission possibly
for the GRU intelligence agency, and offer military data messaging and photo reconnaissance.
Earlier spacecraft in this series were launched on Tsyklon launcher in
groups of three (and additional spacecraft), and into slightly lower orbits.
More...
[Article on Tselina
craft]
References
- [1]
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Picture courtesy of Anatoly Zak/RussianSpaceWeb.com,
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