July-August 1980:satellite digest

Cosmos 1155

1980 Feb 7.46

Cylinder+sphere:6 long, 2.4 dia

194

395

72.87

90.45

Plesetsk

1980-9A

14 days (R)

1980 Feb 21

A-2

USSR/USSR (1)

Big Bird

1980 Feb 7.88

Cylinder:15 long, 5 dia

WTR

1980-10A

At least 100 years

224

502

96.97

91.87

Titan 3D

DoD/USAF (2)

Navstar 5

1980 Feb 9.96

Cy!inder+4 vanes: 3 across

WTR

1980-11A

indefinite

20083

20146

63.72

715.24

Atlas F

DoD/USAF (3)

Cosmos 1156-1163

1980 Feb 11.98

Spheroids: 1 long, 2 dia

1400

1474

74.04

114.64

Plesetsk

1980-12A-H

5,000 years

C-1

USSR/USSR (4)

Cosmos 1164

1980-13A

1980 Feb 12.04

12 years?

Cylinder-cone-antennae: 6 long, 4 dia

435

40858

62.82

736.86

Plesetsk

A-2-e

USSR/USSR (5)

SMM

1980 Feb 14.665

Cylindrical box+panels:4.0 long, 2.5 dia

ETR

1980-14A

10 years

563

570

28.51

95.80

Delta

NASA/NASA (6)

Tansei 4

1980 Feb 17.028

Cylinder: 5 long, 4 dia

Kagoshima

1980-15A

10 years

518

604

38.68

95.75

Mu 3S

Japan/Japan (7)

Raduga 6

1980 Feb 20.34

Cylinder+panels: 5 long, 2 dia

36535

36720

0.55

1479.2

Tyuratam

1980-16A

indefinite

D-1-e

USSR/USSR (8)

Cosmos 1165

1980 Feb 21.50

Cylinder+sphere:6 long, 2.4 dia

353

72.88

89.78

Plesetsk

1980-17A

13 days (R)

1980 Mar 5

USSR/USSR (9)

ECS 2 (Ayame)

1980 Feb 22.35

Cylinder: 5 long, 3 dia

213

35592

24.53

627.04

Tanegashima

1980-18A

indefinite

Nu

Japan/Japan (10)

OPS 5211

1980 Mar 3.47

WTR

1980-19A

2000 years

1060

1147

63.50

107.34

Atlas F

DoD/USAF

Cosmos 1166

1980 Mar 4.41

Cylinder+sphere:6 long, 2.4 dia

197

380

72.85

90.32

Plesetsk

1980-20A

A-2

USSR/USSR (11)

Supplementary notes:

(1) Orbital data are at 1980 Feb 7.5 and Feb 8.5.

(2) Manoeuvrable reconnaisance satellite.

(3) US navigation satellite. Orbital data are at 1980 Feb 10.4 and Feb 13.6.

(4) Multiple launch of eight satellites, possibly for military communications. One orbit is shown for each satellite.

(5) Possibly a failed Molniya-1 satellite.

(6) Solar Maximum Mission, launched by NASA to observe the Sun during the 1980-81 maximum of the sunspot cycle. SMM will measure gamma ray, x-ray and ultraviolet emissions, as well as observing the corona and measuring the solar constant. The satellite may possibly be retrieved from orbit during a Shuttle mission.

(7) Japanese built and launched scientific satellite.

(8) USSR communications satellite in geostationary orbit located above 35 degrees east longitude, the Statsionar 2 position. Orbital data are at 1980 Feb 22.4 and Mar 10.4.

(9) Orbital data are at 1980 Feb 21.9, Feb 28.3 arjd Mar 2.1.

(10) Japanese Experimental Communications Satellite. Contact was lost at the time the apogee motor should have fired.

(11) Orbital data are at 1980 Mar 4.7 and Mar 5.0.