WGS 7 search elements; fuel dump events

From: Ted Molczan via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 14:01:09 -0400
The launch of Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS 7) from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 4 Medium+(5,4), has been delayed to 2015 Jul
24, between 00:07 and 00:46 UTC.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/21/d372-journal/

I offer the following rough TLE of the orbit after the final burn of the 2nd stage, assuming launch at window-open: 

SECO-2                                                 441 X 66870 km
1 78903U          15205.02680557  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    06
2 78903  24.0048 122.2621 8296700 177.8402   1.4113  1.08404000    01

Following spacecraft separation, observers within range should look for the following 2nd stage events (times
approximate):

    T+       UTC
00:45:00  00:52:00  CCAM Start (Collision and Contamination Avoidance Manoeuvre)
00:47:20  00:54:20  CCAM End
00:54:41  01:01:41  H2 Depletion End
00:56:40  01:03:40  O2 Depletion End
01:18:33  01:25:33  N2H4 depletion End

The fuel dump could produce a spectacular comet-like phenomenon, similar to that of WGS 4 in 2012, imaged despite
challenging conditions, by Willie Koorts:

http://satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2012/0270.html

Ted Molczan


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Received on Wed Jul 22 2015 - 13:02:14 UTC

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