Elektro-L No.1
Elektro-L No.1 (Russian: Электро-L), also known as Geostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite No.2 or GOMS No.2, is a Russian geostationary weather satellite which was launched in 2011. The first Elektro-L spacecraft to fly, it became the first Russian geostationary weather satellite to be launched since Elektro No.1 in 1994.
| Mission type | Weather |
|---|---|
| Operator | Roskosmos |
| COSPAR ID | 2011-001A |
| SATCAT no. | 37344 |
| Mission duration | 10 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Navigator |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 1,740 kilograms (3,840 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 January 2011, 12:29:02 UTC |
| Rocket | Zenit-3F |
| Launch site | Baikonur 45/1 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 14.5° West[1] |
| Semi-major axis | 42,165.19 kilometres (26,200.23 mi)[2] |
| Eccentricity | 7.61E-05[2] |
| Perigee altitude | 35,790 kilometres (22,240 mi)[2] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,797 kilometres (22,243 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 0.68 degrees[2] |
| Period | 1436.17 minutes[2] |
| Epoch | 24 January 2015, 03:02:23 UTC[2] |
Spacecraft
Elektro-L No.1 is the first of two Elektro-L satellites to be launched. It was manufactured by Lavochkin, based on the Navigator satellite bus, and had a mass at launch of 1,740 kilograms (3,840 lb).[3] Designed to operate for ten years, the satellite is positioned over the Indian Ocean at a longitude of 76 degrees east.[4]
The MSU-GS scanner is the primary instrument aboard the spacecraft. It is designed to produce visible light and infrared images of a full disc of the Earth. It can produce an image every half-hour, with the visible light images having a resolution of one kilometre, and the infrared images having a resolution of four kilometres. The satellite also carries GGAK-E, a heliophysics payload designed to study radiation from the Sun. The satellite will also be used to relay data between Russian weather stations, and will also be used to relay signals as part of the Cospas-Sarsat system.[5] It carries seven infrared channels and three visible channels.
Launch
The launch of Elektro–L No.1 took place at 12:29 UTC on 20 January 2011. The Zenit-3F carrier rocket, used to place the satellite into orbit, was making its maiden flight. The rocket consisted of a two-stage Zenit-2SB manufactured by the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and an NPO Lavochkin-manufactured Fregat-SB upper stage.[6][7] The launch was also the maiden flight of the Fregat-SB, which was derived from the Fregat, but equipped with additional propellant tanks. The satellite separated from the upper stage at 21:28 UTC.[7] The Russian Federal Space Agency confirmed the spacecraft was operational the next day.[7][8]
Repositioning
On July 13, 2016, after the launch of the second Elektro-L satellite, Elektro-L No. 1 began moving from its previous position over the Indian Ocean at 76° East towards a new location at 14.5° West over the Atlantic. To achieve this, the spacecraft was put into an orbit 289 kilometers higher than its previous geostationary orbit. This caused the spacecraft to drift West relative to the Earth at a rate of 2.03° per day. This shift was expected to take 45 days, however on August 24 and August 30, the spacecraft's orbit was lowered to the point where its drift was 0.09° per day. On September 7 that year, a maneuver brought it to a drift of 0.012° per day. Finally on October 3, mission control announced that the craft had come to its position of 14.5° West, and that the transfer had been completed.[1]
See also
References
- "Elektro-L". russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
- "ELEKTRO-L Satellite details 2011-001A NORAD 37344". N2YO. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- Krebs, Gunter. "Elektro-L 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- Clark, Stephen (20 January 2011). "Zenit rocket climbs to orbit with weather satellite". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- Zak, Anatoly. "Elektro-L". RussianSpaceWeb. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- "Russia meteo satellite Electro-L successfully orbited". ITAR-TASS. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- "Electro-L is Fully Operational". Roskosmos. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- "Russia puts meteorological satellite into orbit (Update 1)". RIA Novosti. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.