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Jonathan's Space Report

No 828 2024 Jan 5 Somerville, MA

JSR updates will be delayed for the next week while I am at the American Astronomical Society meeting

International Space Station

Expedition 70 continues

Two Japanese cubesats, BEAK and ClarkSat-1, were deployed from J-SSOD No 27 on Dec 18

The Dragon CRS-29 cargo ship undocked from IDA-2/PMA-2 at 2205 UTC Dec 21 It splashed down off the coast of Florida about 1733 UTC Dec 22, in the Tallahassee recovery zone near 84 2W 29 3N

The Canadarm-2 unberthed the Cygnus NG-19 (S S Laurel Clark) cargo ship from the Unity module at about 1000 UTC Dec 22 and released it into orbit at 1306 UTC NG-19 will carry out an independent mission until early January Around 2230 UTC Dec 22 the Clark lowered its orbit slightly to 397 x 400 km; it remained in that orbit as of Jan 4

On Dec 23 at 0155 UTC Progress MS-24 fired its engine to raise the ISS orbit; the burn lasted 1132 s and had a delta-V of 1 7 m/s

Chinese Space Station

Astronauts Tang H and Tang S made a 7 5 hour spacewalk on Dec 21, from about 0600 UTC to 1335 UTC Suits A (red) and B (blue) were used, but it's not clear which astronaut used which suit

On Dec 24 around 1100 UTC the CSS made a small orbit boost of 0 32 m/s, probably using the engines on the Tianzhou-6 freighter

Arktika-M

Russia's Artika-M No 2 weather satellite was launched on Dec 16 The satellite is in an elliptical Molniya orbit with apogee over the Arctic and will monitor meteorological conditions in the north polar region

DEAR-1

The first Dier (marketed as DEAR in English) microgravity satellite from Ziwei Yutong Keji YG (AZSPACE, Beijing) was launched by Xingye Rongyao's Shuang Quxian-1 (SQX-1) rocket from Jiuquan on Dec 17 The satellite consists of a service module and a recoverable capsule, with a mass probably in the 250-300 kg range; the satellite is also called Liangxi

This is the third orbital success for SQX-1 in 6 attempts

Kosmos-2570 et al

Object D, ejected from the Kosmos-2570 launch on Nov 23, has made a single manuever, raising its orbit slightly, so is presumably a payload like object C Russia will likely register them with the UN as Kosmos satellites, but until then we just have to guess; I am calling C Kosmos-2571 and D 'Kosmos-2571 subsatellite'

Bars-M?

A Russian Defense Ministry satellite launched on Dec 21 is probably a Bars-M cartographic satellite It has the cover name Kosmos-2573

Starlink launches

Starlink Group 6-34, with 23 satellites, launched Dec 19 from Canaveral Starlink Group 6-32, with 23 satellites, launched Dec 23 from Canaveral Starlink Group 6-36, with 23 satellites, launched Dec 29 from Canaveral Starlink Group 7-9, with 21 satellites, launched Jan 3 from Vandenberg

One of the Group 6-32 satellites failed immediately and reentered over Japan three days after launch

Six of the Group 7-9 satellites are new `Direct To Cell' variants, with names in the Starlink 11000 series rather than the Starlink 30000 series

Firefly FLTA0004

Firefly Space launched the 4th Alpha rocket from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2-West on Dec 22 The vehicle reached initial parking orbit, but the second stage failed to restart at apogee and Lockheed Martin/Denver's 'Tantrum' Electronically Steerable Antenna Technology Demonstrator satellite was left in a low-perigee elliptical orbit

In accordance with https://planet4589 org/space/gcat/web/intro/success html I am scoring this launch 0 40, and considering it a failure

SARah-2/3

SpaceX launched Germany's SARah-2 and SARah-3 military radar imaging satellites on Dec 24 aboard a Falcon 9 launched from Vandebberg The two satellites were built by OHB and are scaled-up versions of the older SAR-Lupe satellites Mass around 1800 kg each, but I haven't been able to find what the size of the satellites is

Tianmu-1

Four more Tianmu-1 GNSS-RO meteorology satellites were launched on a Kuaizhou-1A from Jiuquan on Dec 25 to 0721 LTDN SSO

A further four Tianmu-1 GNSS-RO meteorology satellites were launched on a Kuaizhou-1A from Jiuquan on Dec 27 to 1311 LTDN SSO

CALT launches

A CZ-11 was launched from the Borun Jiuzhou barge off Yangjiang on Dec 25, placing three Shiyan-24C technology satellites in 0600 LTDN sun-sync orbit The fourth stage lowered its perigee after deploying the satellites

A CZ-3B/YZ-1 was launched from Xichang on Dec 26 The CZ-3B reached a 203 x 18483 km x 55 0 deg orbit, from which the YZ-1 made two burns to 21532 x 22193 km x 55 0, where two Beidou navigation sats were deployed

A CZ-2C/YZ-1S launched from Jiuquan on Dec 30 placed three internet test satellites in orbit The satellites were built by CAST/Beijing

Kosmos-2574

A Russian defense ministry satellite, codenamed Kosmos-2574, was launched by a Soyuz-2-1v rocket from Plesetsk on Dec 27 into low sun-sync orbit It may be another in the EO-MKA series of small satellites

X-37B

The X-37B No 2 spaceplane was launched aboard a Falcon Heavy on Dec 29 on mission OTV-7 This is the first time such a large rocket has been used for an X-37B launch and it is believed that the spacecraft is being sent to a high orbit The FH second stage was deorbited over the North Pacific Ocean

XPoSAT

India's XPoSAT was launched on Jan 1 It carries an experiment to measure the X-ray polarization of high-energy astronomical sources The PSLV fourth stage carries a set of attached experiments called POEM-3 The POEM-3/PS4 deployed XPoSAT and then made two burns to lower its orbit and increase inclination

OVZON

On Jan 3 SpaceX launched an 1800 kg Maxar-built communications satellite for the Swedish company Ovzon AB into a high apogee geotransfer orbit

SLIM

JAXA's SLIM lunar probe entered a 600 x 4000 km polar lunar orbit at 0751 UTC Dec 25 JAXA has not announced the exact orbital inclination

Juno

The Juno probe orbiting Jupiter made a 1493 km flyby of Io on Dec 30

Chinese spaceplane

Six objects are cataloged in orbit associated with the recent Chinese spaceplane launch These include object A, the spaceplane itself, object B, the rocket upper stage, and objects C,D,E and F, four small covers ejected from the upper stage separation motors These objects are characteristic of Chang Zheng 2 series launches and were fully expected Recent reports of radio transmissions associated with the debris objects were erroneous; the transmissions were actually coming from unrelated Chinese satellites Hyperventilating news reports of a supposed mystery associated with the presence of six tracked objects may therefore be ignored

Table of Recent Orbital Launches

Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes Dec 1 0925 Progress M-25 Soyuz-2-1A Baykonur LC31 Cargo 184A 264 x 282 x 51 6 Dec 1 1819 Korea Project 425 EO/IR Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Imaging 185A 554 x 570 x 97 6 ION SCV012? Tug Bane Unknown GNOMES-4 Comms ENSO Tech Spirit Astron 185 508 x 525 x 97 5 EIRSAT-1 Tech Hayasat-1 Tech Koyoh Tech Lilium-1 Tech Unicorn-2L, 2M, 2N Imaging ALISIO Imaging MDQubeSAT-1 Comms NanoFF-1, 2 Tech uHETSAT Tech LOGSATS Comms Dec 3 0400 Starlink Group 6-31 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 186 285 x 292 x 43 0 Dec 4 0410 MisrSat-2 Chang Zheng 2C Jiuquan Imaging 187A 626 x 642 x 98 0 Xingchi-1 02A Img/Comms 187B Xingchi-1 02B Img/Comms 187C Dec 4 0500 S-STEP ADD TV2 Jeju Radar 188A 636 x 653 x 47 0 Dec 4 2333 Xingchi-1A Gushenxing-1 Jiuquan Imaging 189 494 x 511 x 97 5 Jiheng-1 Rem sens 189 494 x 511 x 97 5 Dec 5 1924 Chuangxin-19 Jielong-3 BRJZ, S China Sea Comms 190A 904 x 921 x 86 5 Dec 7 0507 Starlink Group 6-33 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 191 285 x 292 x 43 0 Dec 8 0803 Starlink Group 7-8 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 192 285 x 295 x 53 1 Dec 8 2339 Honghu-1 Zhuque-2 Jiuquan Tech 193 432 x 461 x 97 3 Honghu-2 Tech 193 Tianyi-33 Tech 193 Dec 10 0158 Yaogan 39 hao 05 zu 01 xing Chang Zheng 2D Xichang Sigint 194A 490 x 501 x 35 0 Yaogan 39 hao 05 zu 02 xing Sigint 194 490 x 501 x 35 0 Yaogan 39 hao 05 zu 03 xing Sigint 194 490 x 501 x 35 0 Dec 14 1412? CSSHQ 3 Chang Zheng 2F Jiuquan Spaceplane 195A 333 x 347 x 50 0 Dec 15 0405 QPS-SAR-5 Electron Mahia 1B Radar 196A 574 x 583 x 42 0
Dec 15 1341 Yaogan 41 Chang Zheng 5 Wenchang Imaging 197A 176 x 35812 x 19 5 Dec 16 0917 Arktika-M No 2 Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat Baykonur LC31 Meteo 198A 1369 x 39264 x 63 3 Dec 17 0700 Dier-1-Liangxi Shuang Quxian 1 Jiuquan Micrograv 199A 490 x 505 x 97 4 Dec 17 2324 Hwasong-18 RV Hwasong-18? Pyongyang Missile test U04 -6260? x 6000? x 42? Dec 18 0835 BEAK ISS, LEO Tech 98067WD 411 x 415 x 51 6 Dec 18 1015 ClarkSat-1 ISS, LEO Tech 98067WE 410 x 417 x 51 6 Dec 19 0400 Starlink Group 6-34 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 200 284 x 291 x 43 0 Dec 21 0848 Kosmos-2574? Soyuz-2-1b Plesetsk Imaging 201A 338 x 498 x 97 6 Dec 22 1732 TANTRUM Alpha Vandenberg SLC2W Tech 202A 216 x 519 x 140 0 Dec 23 0533 Starlink Group 6-32 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 203 284 x 291 x 43 0 Dec 24 1311 SARah-2 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Radar 204A 500?x500?x 88 SARah-3 Radar 204B 500?x500?x 88 Dec 25 0100 Tianmu 1-11 Kuaizhou-1A Jiuquan Meteo 205A 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-12 Meteo 205B 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-13 Meteo 205C 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-14 Meteo 205D 515 x 530 x 97 4 Dec 25 2239 Shiyan 24C-1 Chang Zheng 111 BRJZ, Yangjiang Tech 206A 542 x 555 x 97 3 Shiyan 24C-2 Tech 206B 541 x 553 x 97 3 Shiyan 24C-3 Tech 206C 540 x 554 x 97 3 Dec 26 0326 Beidou DW57 Chang Zheng 3B/YZ-1 Xichang Nav 207A 21532 x 22193 x 55 0 Beidou DW58 Nav 207B 21520 x 22192 x 55 0 Dec 27 0650 Tianmu 1-19 Kuaizhou-1A Jiuquan Meteo 208A 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-20 Meteo 208B 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-21 Meteo 208C 515 x 530 x 97 4 Tianmu 1-22 Meteo 208D 515 x 530 x 97 4 Dec 27 0703 Kosmos-2574 Soyuz-2-1v Plesetsk LC43/4 Imaging? 209A 347 x 361 x 96 8 Dec 29 0107 OTV 7 Falcon Heavy Kennedy LC39A Spaceplane 210A 300? x 35000? x ? Dec 29 0401 Starlink Group 6-36 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 211 284 x 291 x 43 0 Dec 30 0013 WHJSW 04A Chang Zheng 2C/YZ-1S Jiuquan Comms 212A 930 x 941 x 50 0 WHJSW 04B Comms 212B 930 x 937 x 50 0 WHJSW 04C Comms 212C 930 x 940 x 50 0 Jan 1 0340 XPoSAT PSLV-DL Satish Dhawan FLP Astron 01A 638 x 653 x 6 0 POEM-3 Tech 01B 342 x 353 x 9 7 Jan 3 0344 Starlink Group 7-9 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 02 335 x 344 x 53 2 Jan 3 2304 Ovzon-3 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 03A 266 x 47367 x 26 8

Table of Recent Suborbital Launches

New Shepard flight NS-24 flew a suborbital uncrewed cargo mission with launch from BlueOrigin W Texas site on Dec 19; apogee 107 1 km and flight time 10m7s Used Booster PM4 No 4 and Crew Capsule 2 0 No 1 (HG Wells)

Dec 2 0700 S-520-33 S-520 Uchinoura Tech 304 Pacific Dec 2 0730 MAIUS-2 VSB-30 Kiruna Micrograv 230? ESRANGE Dec 6 Bio Capsule Salman Semnan Life Sci 130 Iran Dec 11 1425? FTG-12 Target IRBM-T1? C-17, Pacific Target 500? Pacific Dec 11 1430? FTG-12 EKV GBI Vandenberg Interceptor 300? Pacific (intercept) Dec 19 1642 NS-24 New Shepard West Texas Micrograv 107 West Texas

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