NROL-30

[pk13]

Шифруются...
1507 GMT (11:07 a.m. EDT)
NEW LAUNCH TIME. Liftoff time is being re-targeted 11:22 a.m. EDT.

[carlos]

1524 GMT (11:24 a.m. EDT)

The countdown remains holding at T-minus 4 minutes. If the Range is able to fix its technical problem, clocks would resume ticking at 11:40 a.m. for a liftoff at 11:44 a.m.

[Liss]

Не улетел.

[pk13]

Заправляются по-новой. LOX заправили во вторую и в первую, керосин остался со вчера, в Центавр начали лить LH2, через час ждем-с.

[Liss]

Стартанула...

[Liss]

РД-180 отработал...

[Liss]

Отключение "Центавра". Баллистическая пауза.

[carlos]

Теперь надо ждать сообщений наблюдателей.

[insat]

А вот пишет Kevin Fetter
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jun-2007/0194.html

The noss satellites, have been released from the upper stage.
Enjoy seeing 2 more satellites, near each other
Be fun to add them to my passes of noss I have captured over a period of time
http://www.kfetter.com/satvideo/noss/

P.S. Видео нормальное.

[Liss]

И инструкция по поиску от Молчана: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jun-2007/0193.html

[carlos]

Упс...

"Two top secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ocean surveillance spacecraft were fired into the wrong orbit June 15 when the 200-foot-tall Atlas V rocket they were riding on stopped firing too early in space following launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The top secret satellites separated safely from the malfunctioning booster, however, and have enough rocket propellant to continue their mission, an official said on background."
and
"The Centaur completed the first firing normally to place the spacecraft in a correct initial orbit. The vehicle then coasted about halfway around the world where the Centaur RL10 engine was fired a second time about an hour after liftoff.
This time, however, the Centaur did not fire for as long as it was scheduled to. The exact parameters involved are still secret.
The spacecraft may have to use their onboard propellant to maneuver into a higher orbit, which could affect their mission life. Whether that is the case is still being determined by NRO."

ссылка

[Liss]

Уж не знаю, что там AW&ST привиделось, но заказчик говорит, что все штатно:

http://www.nro.mil/PressReleases/prs_rel91.html

NRO satellite successfully launched aboard Atlas V
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (703) 808-5050

Release #1-07
Jun. 15, 2007

A National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload was successfully launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 15, 2007 at 11:12 a.m. EDT. This is the first Atlas V launch of an NRO payload.

"Today's launch is a tribute to the hard work of a dedicated government and industry team. We have now had two successful launches using the new EELV launch vehicles," said Col James Norman, Director of the NRO Office of Space Launch and NRO Mission Director. Col Norman's comments were in reference to today's launch of the Atlas V EELV and a June 2006 launch of a Delta IV EELV from Vandenberg AFB, California. "Today's success also underscores the importance to our country's National Security Space enterprise of having and sustaining a reliable and experienced launch capability for these critical missions," said Col Norman.

The NRO develops and operates unique and innovative overhead reconnaissance systems and conducts intelligence-related activities essential for U.S. national security. This launch directly supports NRO's goals of being the foundation for global situational awareness and for providing intelligence information on timelines responsive to user needs.

[Liss]

Собственно, Эд Кэннон уже видел два спутника, да к тому же в Иране наблюдалось изумительное облако от слива компонентов (сейчас на заглавной странице http://spaceweather.com/ ). Так что никуда не денутся вороги.

[Agent]

http://www.losangeles.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123057476

"The Centaur upper stage had a technical anomaly which resulted in minor performance degradation. The Space and Missile Systems Center has initiated a standard review process"

Фигово для Атласа. 100% успешность экономила много денег.

[carlos]

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/NEWS02/706160326

The Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, the сlandestine agency in charge of the United States' spy satellites, confirmed a performance problem with the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket.

However, the NRO said it is "confident in the performance of its mission."

The trade publication Aviation Week & Space Technology offered details.

The magazine said the two spacecraft, which it identified as ocean surveillance satellites, separated from the Centaur upper stage.

However, the Centaur's second engine firing did not last long enough, leaving the spacecraft short of the intended target.

The magazine reported the two satellites had enough propellant of their own to maneuver into the appropriate higher orbit.

If the spacecraft have to use their own propellant to boost their orbits, it will reduce the satellites' useful on-orbit lifetime.

[carlos]

My sky was clear in the area of the predicted passes for both the NOSS
payload and the Centaur. NOSS 3-4 was predicted at 01:05 UTC and Centaur at
01:44 on June 17. Both obs were negative at +/- 5 min. They were in bright
twilight. I used a 16-inch telescope with a wide angle eyepiece for the
payload pass targeted between Saturn and a 5.7 mag star 8 Leonis that I
could easily see. For the Centaur pass I used my 20x80 with a limiting mag
of about 5. Only one ref star was seen.

Elsets used :
NOSS 3-4 (A)
1 31701U 07027A   07167.06697797 0.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    06
2 31701  63.4420  44.9170 0300000 182.7408 177.2592 13.66600000    01
NOSS CENTAUR
1 70002U          07166.70111494  .00000011  00000-0  20000-4 0    07
2 70002  63.4420  42.8917 0107863 182.7436 177.3009 13.39714521    00

[carlos]

This approximate solution is in close agreement with the satellite trail in two
of the images taken from Tehran by Babak A. Tafreshi on 2007 Jun 15 near 17:32
UTC, Ed Cannon's position of 2007 Jun 16 at 02:21:44.2 UTC, and several radio
observations during Jun 15 and 16 UTC, received from www.uhf-satcom.com. Thank
you to Bjorn Gimle for additional information and insights into Mr. Tafreshi's
images.

NOSS 3-4 (A)     0.0  0.0  0.0  4.9 v
1 31701U 07027A   07167.06743176  .00000023  00000-0  20000-4 0    07
2 31701  63.4400  44.7647 0319398 164.9815 196.0985 13.66177470    00

I suspect that the period may be about 0.5 s too low, so the object may run a
little late. Track errors may exceed 1 deg, especially at high elevation.

I am reasonably confident in this solution, but it remains to be confirmed by
precise visual observations. Subject to that caveat, these appear to be the main
deviations from nominal resulting from the anomalous final Centaur burn:

                   Nominal  Achieved
Perigee, km         1000       776    
Apogee, km          1200      1246
Arg Perigee, deg     180       165

[Старый]

Аргумент перигея может оказаться самой тяжёлой потерей.
 А на какие начальные орбиты выводились аппараты в предыдущих трёх пусках?

[carlos]

Первые известные орбиты для НОССов-С и их Центавров из имеющихся в наличии у МакДауэлла.
НОСС-3-1

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 26905U 01040A   01259.28809729  .00000000  00000-0  00000 0 0    01
2 26905  63.4320 279.5508 0134000 185.9693 174.0307 13.41928000    07

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 26906U 01040B   01255.11104795  .00000000  00000-0  00000 0 0    01
2 26906  63.4300 289.4404 0135000 188.9871 171.0129 13.43449000    02

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 26907U 01040C   01259.28766436  .00000000  00000-0  00000 0 0    00
2 26907  63.4210 279.5309 0136000 185.4685 174.5315 13.42004500    09
НОСС-3-2

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28095U 03054A   03352.73051993  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    09
2 28095  63.4200 262.2348 0131000 179.2411 180.7589 13.40610822    03

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28096U 03054B   03353.69625984  .00000030  00000-0  51351-4 0    05
2 28096  63.6580 259.5403 0144000 181.3319 178.6681 13.40529151    06

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28097U 03054C   03352.73122799  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    04
2 28097  63.4350 262.2760 0130000 181.0419 178.9580 13.40596849    09
НОСС-3-3

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28537U 05004A   05036.17926984 0.00000010  00000-0  17505-4 0    00
2 28537  63.4167 157.5605 0132000 179.7247 180.2753 13.39717091    03

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28538U 05004B   05036.17567919  .00000018  00000-0  30000-4 0    03
2 28538  63.6810 157.5939 0141947 182.8978 177.1243 13.42560751    09

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 28541U 05004C   05036.17936433 0.00000010  00000-0  17525-4 0    07
2 28541  63.4167 157.5653 0132000 179.7247 180.2753 13.39647640    03

[insat]

А в Новостях Космонавтики поспешили

Секретный груз Национального разведывательного управления США USA-194, который доставила на орбиту ракета-носитель Atlas-5, имеет номер 31701. Его международное обозначение 2007-027А.
     Субспутник USA-194 (2), выведенный на орбиту в ходе того же пуска, получил номер 31703. Международное обозначение объекта - 2007-027С.

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/news.shtml

2007-027С еще не каталогизирован!!!