Re: IRIDIUM / GPS LAUNCHes

Tony Beresford (starman@camtech.net.au)
Thu, 06 Nov 1997 16:57:49 +1000

At 00:15 6/11/97 -0500, Floyd Weaver wrote:
>
>	Is that 35 deg. inclination orbit correct? Or was the 55 deg that
>I read earlier incorrect? I went out tonight to see if I could see this
>launch, but since it was delayed by 22 minutes and I could not wait that
>long (had to go to church), I miss any chance to see it. If it was sent
>into a 35 deg inclination orbit I would not have been able to see it
>anyway. The Friday Titan launch is to be into a 55 deg orbit, if I got it
>right, but The forecast for us is for rain. :-(
Floyd, GPS launches leave the Delta 2stage in a <5 degree LEO, the third
stage in the mentioned transfer orbit, and then do an iclination change
to 55 degrres at GPS orbit insertion. The 2nd stage orbit is less than 
35 degree inclination because the engine in reignited to burn off
fuel and lower inclination. its often ( but not always) down to <30 degrees
Tony Beresford