Here are updates of my parking orbit guesses, based on the launch that took
place on 2004 Aug 31 at 23:17 UTC (the very end of a launch window that opened
at 22:49 UTC):
191 X 323
1 72000U 04245.01776620 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 06
2 72000 58.4289 233.3575 0100000 55.0000 235.6815 16.08708850 09
193 X 416
1 72000U 04245.01776620 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 06
2 72000 58.4281 233.3614 0167000 110.0637 179.6650 15.91566646 06
The first assumes that perigee occurs near the point of Centaur MECO1 (Main
Engine Cut-off #1), i.e. orbital insertion; the second assumes that apogee
occurs near Centaur MES2 (Main Engine Start #2), the start of the Centaur's
second and final burn.
The epoch of both corresponds to MES2, 68 min 35 s after launch, which I believe
will result in a transfer orbit to a Molniya orbit, very roughly like this:
414 X 39957
1 72000U 04245.01776620 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 06
2 72000 58.4281 233.3614 7445000 290.0637 0.0000 2.00600000 06
I expect the payload to manoeuvre at high altitude to change the inclination to
approximately 63.4 deg, which will also change the RAAN. Also, I suspect that
the final argument of perigee will be closer to 270 deg than 290 deg, but I do
not know which manoeuvre would bring that about.
Ted Molczan
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