Re: COMETS
Ralph McConahy (rmcconahy@earthlink.net)
Thu, 25 Mar 1999 22:21:18 -0800
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike <asterism@att.net>
To: 'SeeSat-L' <SeeSat-L@blackadder.lmsal.com>
Date: Thursday, March 25, 1999 4:25 PM
Subject: COMETS
>>I'd never heard of this satellite, let alone seen it.
Mike,
COMETS (Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite) is a
NASDA (Japan) satellite, launched in Feb. 1998, costing over $2 billion,
that was supposed to be placed in a geostationary orbit. But the second
stage burn lasted shorter than required to get it into GTO. It therefore
ended up in a highly elliptical orbit about 18,000 x 500 km. When you happen
to catch it near perigee it can be quite bright.
You can see a picture of it (without solar panels) at:
http://yyy.tksc.nasda.go.jp/Home/This/This-e/rtf_ep_1.html
And videos at:
http://spaceboy.nasda.go.jp/Gallery/Gallery-e/h25fmovindex_e.html
Some tests are still being performed with it:
http://www.mpt.go.jp/pressrelease/english/general/news980715.html
You can read more about it at:
http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/1998/022198k.htm
http://yyy.tksc.nasda.go.jp/Home/This/This-e/comets_e.html
Ralph McConahy
34.8829N 117.0064W 670m