Re: AsiaSat update

VideoCosmos (icosmos@dol.ru)
Fri, 26 Dec 1997 22:25:40 +0300 (MSK)

Hi,

At 15:04 26.12.1997 +0000, Alan Pickup wrote:

>The latest elsets for AsiaSat 3 and (what I assume to be) its failed
>Block-DM3 stage are:
>AsiaSat 3                                        35997 x 269 km
>1 25126U 97086A   97360.35094992  .00023211  00000-0  96956-2 0    78
>2 25126  51.5125  91.9746 7288063   1.0795 359.8143  2.26259055    31
>AsiaSat 3 Block-DM3 r?                           35996 x 223 km
>1 25129U 97086D   97359.90803672 -.00000507  00000-0  00000-0 0    14
>2 25129  51.4499  92.0594 7304004   1.0181 359.8589  2.26580509    16
>
>Contrary to some reports, they are in no danger of imminent re-entry and
>should survive the ups and downs of lunisolar perturbations into the
>next millennium.

According to the Khrunichev Space Center press service,
the gas generator of the RKK Energiya's upper stage exploded 
just one second after the second burn start.

If Proton were launched from Kourou, Asiasat 3 would probably be
able to achieve geostationary orbit...

Asiasat intends to de-orbit the bird after some tests so it would
barely survive into next millenium.

Igor Lissov

Manager, Foreign Information
Novosti Kosmonavtiki/VideoCosmos Co.
Phone: 7-095-742-32-99         
Mail:  127427 Russia, Moscow, ul. Akademika Koroleva 12 str.3

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