November-December 1981:satellite digest

GOES 5

1981 May 22.937

Cylinder:3 long,2 dia

35451

37010

0.52

1458.71

ESMR

1981-49A

indefinite

Delta

NOAA/NASA (1)

Intelsat 5 (2)

1981 May 23.946

Box + 2 panels

ESMR

1981-50A

indefinite

Atlas Centaur

Intelsat/NASA (2)

Rohini 2

1981 May 31.2

Spheroid:0.5 dia

Sriharikhota

1981-51A

8 days

187

418

46.27

90.49

SLV-3

India/India (3)

Cosmos 1274

1981 Jun 3.58

Cylinder+sphere:6 long,2.4 dia

Plesetsk

1981-52A

30 days (R)

1981 Jul 3

170

353

67.16

89.75

A-2

USSR/USSR (4)

Cosmos 1275

1981 Jun 4.68

Cylinder:2 long,2 dia

Plesetsk

1981-53A

1500 years

962

1012

82.96

104.91

C-1

USSR/USSR (5)

Molniya-3 (16)

1981 Jun 9.15

Cylinder-cone:4.2 long,1.6 dia

434

40843

62.81

736.56

Plesetsk

1981-54A

12 years

A-2-e

USSR/USSR (6)

Cosmos 1276

1981 Jun 16.4

Cylinder+sphere:6 long,2.4 dia

Plesetsk

1981-55A

13 days (R)

1981 Jun 29

214

237

82.37

89.06

A-2

USSR/USSR (7)

Cosmos 1277

1981 Jun 17.40

Cylinder+sphere:6 long,2.4 dia

207

377

70.41

90.40

Tyuratam

1981-56A

14 days (R)

1981 Jul 1

A-2

USSR/USSR (8)

Meteosat 2

1981 Jun 19.524

Cylinder:3.2 long,2 dia

Kourou

1981-57A

indefinite

geostationary orbit

Ariane

ESA/ESA (9)

Apple

1981 Jun 19.524

Cylinder:1.9 long,1.2 dia

Kourou

1981-57B

indefinite

geostationary orbit

Ariane

ESRO/ESA (10)

Cosmos 1278

1981 Jun 19.8

Cylinder-cone:4 long,2 dia

615

40214

62.84

727.39

Plesetsk

1981-58A

12 years

A-2-e

USSR/USSR (11)

NOAA-7

1981 Jun 23.48

Irregular box+panel:3.8 long,1.8 dia

WSMR

400 years

844

862

98.90

102.05

Atlas F

NOAA/NASA (12)

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES:

(1) US meteorological satellite in synchronous orbit above 85 degrees west longitude.

(2) International communications satellite in synchronous orbit above 1 degree west longitude.

(3) Indian-launched and built small scientific satellite.

(4) Manoeuvrable, long life reconnaissance satellite.

(5) Navigation satellite.

(6) USSR communications satellite. Orbital data are at 1981 Jun 10.2 and 16.3.

(7) Reconnaissance satellite carrying an Earth resources package.

(8) Orbital data is at 1981 Jun 17.4.

(9) European meteorological satellite in synchronous orbit above the Greenwich meridian.

(10) Indian-built experimental communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit above 102 degrees east longitude. Apple (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment) was carried aboard the third test flight of Ariane which put Meteosat 2 into orbit.

(11) Early warning satellite.

(12) US meteorological satellite in polar orbit sending back cloud cover photographs and other atmospheric data.