August is turning out to be a pretty decent month for sky watching. There was the Perseid meteor shower, and it's also been cool enough that the mosquitoes haven't been too horrible. This past week was great because the moon was 'off-phase' and wasn't up for most of the evening. I spotted my brightest objects just the other night. It was a flare from an Iridium satellite which clocked in at -7.2 magnitude. to put that into perspective, the lower the number the brighter... the sun is something like -26 and a full moon is -12.7. The brightest ISS sighting I have had was -4.6, so this nearly doubled as the brightest object I had seen. My August sightings thus far (something like 60 objects) are below. I'm nearly 3/4 of the way to my 1,000 object mark which is pretty cool. And Resurs 1-4 (ye olde faithful) is coming back around again for several months which means I should be able to hit another goal of seeing a single object 50 times.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 07-August-2011 Sunday
10:00 PM - Name: USA 129/KH 12-3 - Magnitude: 2.1
Int'l Designator: 1996-072-A
This is my 2nd sighting of the third KH-12 keyhole optical reconnaissance satellite. the KH-12 series of satellites were also known as Improved Crystal and Advanced Kennan satellites. This satellite was put into orbit using a Titan 404A rocket.
10:13 PM - Name: Cosmos 1939 - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1988-032-A
This is my first sighting of Cosmos 1939, a Russian Resurs-O1 satellite. The Resurs-O1 series of satellites are used for earth land resource observation satellites. While the satellites they were developed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, they were not directly used for any military mission. This satellite was put into orbit in 1988 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
10:14 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my 5th sighting of this Long March 2C rocket which was used to put the first ShiJian 11 satellite into orbit. The purpose of the SJ11 series of satellites has not been disclosed by the Chinese government, however there is speculation that it is an experimental early warning constellation system.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 10-August-2011 Wednesday
10:52 PM - Name: Envisat - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 2002-009-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Envisat (short for Environmental Satellite), a European (ESA) earth observation satellite. This satellite was put into orbit using an Ariane 5G rocket. It's purpose is to study all kinds of stuff like the chemistry of the atmosphere, ozone depletion, wind waves, maritime traffice, snow and ice. Envisat cost 2.3 billion Euros... I'm too lazy to do the conversion to US dollars.
11:05 PM - Name: DMSP B5D2-2 - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1983-113-A
This is my first sighting of DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) satellite. DMSP is a US military operation that dates back to the early 60s. When the first weather satellites were being put into space for the civilian space program, the military was working on one as well. Highly classified, the original series of satellites were not declassified until 1973. The early satellites used a film-return system which literally meant the satellites took photos and then ejected a canister which held film. The canisters were then snagged out of the air before the canister and parachute plunged into the ocean. This particular satellite is far removed from those seemly prehistoric methods. This satellite was part of the 8th series of satellites (known as Block 5D) which were deployed between 1976 and 2009. This satellite was launched in 1983 on board an Atlas E (or SM-65E) rocket. NASA says this about this satellite.
11:14 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 1.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a white meteor traveling from E to ESE around 45 degrees.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 11-August-2011 Thursday
9:51 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a faint white meteor traveling W to SW at 45 degrees.
9:52 PM - Name: Cosmos 1777 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.9
Int'l Designator: 1986-070-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. This rocket was used to put Cosmos 1777, a Russian Strela-2M communications satellite into orbit in 1986.
9:54 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a faint white meteor traveling N from from 30 to 45 degrees.
9:59 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a faint white meteor travelling E to SE at 65 degrees.
9:59 PM - Name: Cosmos 1939 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1988-032-A
This is my 2nd sighting of Cosmos 1939, a Russian Resurs-O1 earth resource satellite.
10:06 PM - Name: TRMM - Magnitude: 2.6
Int'l Designator: 1997-074-A
This is my first sighting of the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission) satellite. It was launched in 1997 using a Japanese H-2 rocket (coincidentally, the last H-2 to fly due to the last two H-2 mission ending in failure). The TRMM was a joint JAXA and NASA space mission. This satellite had various instruments on board: precipitation radar, upper atmosphere energy readings, and lightning image sensors.
10:08 PM - Name: 99025DQQ - Magnitude: 4.6
Int'l Designator: 1999-025-DQQ
This is my first sighting of this particular piece from the Chinese Fengyun-1C weather satellite. I say 'piece' because this is the satellite that the Chinese tested their anti-satellite technology out on in 2007. I could get on a soap box here, but I will refrain. The facts are that the satellite, in a very high orbit, was destroyed using a kinetic kill vehicle and the resulting collision and explosion created over 2300 pieces of debris of a golf-ball size or larger, and which will take approximately 100 years (or more) to deorbit. I have seen one other piece from this satellite to date (1999-025-DRG).
10:14 PM - Name: IGS 1B - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2003-009-B
This is my 2nd sighting of the Japanese IGS-1B (Information Gathering Satellite). It was launched into orbit using the Japanese H-2A rocket in 2003. This launch actually sent up a pair of satellites. IGS-1A is an optical sensor with a resolution of approx 1m. I have yet to see this sister satellite. IGS-1B uses SAR (synthetic aperture radar). In theory these two satellites are 37 minutes apart so at some point I should be able to see IGS-1A as well.
10:14 PM - Name: Iridium 33 BF - Magnitude: 6.0
Int'l Designator: 1997-051-BF
This is my first sighting of this piece of Iridium 33 (cataloged as BF). The Iridium 33 was involved in a collision with Cosmos 2151 in 2009 with a velocity of over 21,000 MPH which created a large amount of debris (nearly 1800 pieces). Unfortunately, the crash occurred in a heavily occupied altitude which is commonly used for many satellites, including the ISS.
10:15 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a meteor traveling NNE to NE at 45 degrees. (For some reason I did not note the color of the meteor, though I would assume it was white as many of the Perseid meteors have been.)
10:18 PM - Name: USA 129/KH 12-3 - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1996-072-A
This is my 3rd sighting of the third KH-12 keyhole optical reconnaissance satellite.
10:23 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my 6th sighting of this Long March 2C rocket which was used to put the first ShiJian 11 satellite into orbit.
10:27 PM - Name: Yaogan 3 LM Rocket - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2007-055-B
This is my first sighting of this Long March 4C rocket which was used to put the Yaogan 3 satellite into orbit. It is believed that Yaogan 3 is a Chinese reconnaissance satellite using SAR technology. When spotting this object, it appeared to be strobing / pulsing which usually means that it is tumbling, though I've seen no mention of this satelliting being listed as 'out of control'.
10:30 PM - Name: Spot 5 Rocket aka IDEFIX/ARIANE 42P - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 2002-021-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Ariane 42P rocket. It was used to put SPOT 5, a high resolution, optical Earth observation satellite used for checking resources and weather patterns. The Ariane 4 series of rockets is fairly reliable with less than 1% failure rate (though, one of the failures did come from the Ariane 42P variant). This particular rocket was the 15th and last Ariane 42P to launch.
Here's the time-line for the morning of:
Date: 12-August-2011 Friday
5:39 AM - Name: ALOS H2A Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2006-002-B
This is my first sighting of this particular Japanese H-2A rocket. This rocket was used to put the Japanese ALOS (Advanced Land Observation Satellite) into orbit in 2006. There's not much to say about the H-2A which has a 17 out of 18 success rate. The ALOS is a little more interesting. It was a civilian craft designed to map the terrain of Asia and the Pacific. However in 2008 it was determined that the satellite had a lack of accuracy (it was not noted in the article if this was a design flaw or a gradual degradation issue). On 21 (or 22) April 2011, the satellite when into power-saving mode and then all power was lost.
5:46 AM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a white/yellow meteor traveling NW from 45 to 35 degrees.
5:48 AM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a white meteor traveling SE from 50 to 40 degrees.
5:56 AM - Name: Cosmos 2227 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1992-093-B
This is my 4th sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite, Kosmos 2227, into orbit in 1992.
5:57 AM - Name: Cosmos 1508 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1983-111-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to put the Russian Taifun-1 military target satellite, Kosmos 1508, into orbit in 1983. The last time I saw this object was nearly a year ago (Oct 2010)!
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 16-August-2011 Tuesday
9:25 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -2.4
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 21st sighting of the International Space Station (ISS).
9:43 PM - Name: USA 194/NOSS 3-4A - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2007-027-A
9:44 PM - Name: USA 194/NOSS 3-4C - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2007-027-C
This is my second sighting of this pair of NOSS (Naval Ocean Surveillance System) satellite. This pair is designated as NOSS 3-4 and provides electronic intelligence (ELINT) for the US Navy.
9:45 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B
Magnitude: 2.3 - Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my 7th sighting of this Long March 2C rocket which was used to put the first ShiJian 11 satellite into orbit.
9:47 PM - Name: Resurs DK-1 - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2006-021-A
This is my 5th sighting of Resurs DK-1, a Russian commercial earth observation satellite. This satellite is capable of producing images of up to 0.9 meters (basically, if something is at least 3 feet big, it'll be at least a pixel in the photo... that's pretty crazy when you think of the fact that it orbits 360 miles above the earth.
9:50 PM - Name: OrbitalEx Cn Rocket aka ATLAS 5 CENTAUR R/B
Magnitude: 2.2 - Int'l Designator: 2007-006-G
This is my 4th sighting of this Atlas 5 / Centaur upper stage (but the first since Oct 2010). This rocket was used to launch 6 satellites. The namesake for this object (OrbialEx) NASA described as "an American military (DARPA) minisatellite ... intended to test capabilities for autonomous rendezvous, refueling and component replacement" as part of the 'Orbital Express Advanced Technology Demonstration' initiative. The six satellites on board were ASTRO (Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations satellite), NEXTSat-CSC (Next Generation Satellite and Commodities spacecraft), STPSat 1 (USAF Space Test Program), CFESat (Cibola Flight Experiment Satellite), MidSTAR 1 (US Navy Experimental satellite), and FalconSat 3 (USAF Academy experimental satellite).
9:50 PM - Name: Cosmos 1220 - Magnitude: 1.6
Int'l Designator: 1980-089-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Cosmos 1220, a Russian US-P ELINT satellite. Normally the Russian ELINT satellites are of type Tselina-D (77 to date) or Tselina-2 (25 to date), but this one is a US-P (37 to date ... which is actually surprising since I think I've only seen one to date).
9:52 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 2.4
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 9th sighting of ADEOS 2 (Advanced Earth Observation 2), a Japanese... earth observation satellite. ;) Launched in December 2002, it's mission ended in October 2003 when it s solar panels failed. This sucked because the satellite cost US$570 MILLION, however through insurance they were able to recoup US$300 million. but still, a quarter of a BILLION dollar loss still sucks.
9:53 PM - Name: Cosmos 1470 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1983-061-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon 3 rocket which was used to launch Kosmos 1470, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite.
9:53 PM - Name: Sich 1 - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1995-046-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Sich 1, Ukrainia's first earth observation satellite. It was put into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket in 1995.
9:59 PM - Name: ARGOS - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1999-008-A
This is my 4tth sighting of ARGOS (Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite), a US Department of Defense satellite. According to Colonel Tom Mead, "The ARGOS satellite will provide a tremendous payoff in critical technologies such as imaging, satellite propulsion and space-based computing. These areas will become important as more and more applications of space are developed."
10:02 PM - Name: Cosmos 1898 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1987-098-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which, in 1987, was used to put Kosmos 1898, a Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite.
10:03 PM - Name: Cosmos 2369 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2000-006-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used in 2000 to put Kosmos 2369, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite into orbit.
10:06 PM - Name: 93036BJT - Magnitude: 5.5
Int'l Designator: 1993-036-BJT
This is my first sighting of this object. This object is debris from Kosmos 2251 caused by the collision between Kosmos 2251 and Iridium 33. The collision caused a large amount of debris, including over 1000 pieces which are greater than 4 inches.
10:07 PM - Name: Cosmos 1515 - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1983-122-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1515, a Russian Zenit-6U photo reconnaissance satellite. This satellite, at least the earlier Zenit recon satellites, were known for actually returning the film AND the camera which was later reused. Over 500 Zenit-style satellites have been deployed to date.
10:12 PM - Name: Perseid meteor - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This is a meteor that is likely from the Perseid meteor showers in August. This was a white meteor traveling from N to NE around 45 degrees.
10:21 PM - Name: ERBS - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 1984-108-B
This is my 3rd sighting of the ERBS (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite). It was put into orbit in 1984 using the Space Shuttle Challenger. Budget didn't mean it was cheaply made, it was literally referring to what is known as the 'radiation budget', ie checking how much radiation the earth takes in vs how much it gives off... or something like that.
10:22 PM - Name: Cosmos 1500 - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1983-099-A
This is my 4th sighting of Kosmos 1500, a Russian Okean-OE oceanography satellite. It was put into orbit in 1983 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
10:23 PM - Name: IGS 1B - Magnitude: 2.1
Int'l Designator: 2003-009-B
This is my 3rd sighting of the Japanese IGS-1B (Information Gathering Satellite).
10:39 PM - Name: Cosmos 2151 - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1991-042-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 2151, a Russian Tselina-R (basically an improved Tselina-D) ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1991 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
11:02 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -0.2
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 22nd sighting of the ISS. This also marks the 2nd time I've seen the ISS twice in an evening. I guess I need to try harder and see if I can pull of a 3x (or at least attempt to see it three times in the same day, as it may take a morning sighting and then two night sightings, or vice versa).
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 19-August-2011 Friday
9:43 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -0.3
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 23rd sighting of the ISS.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 26-August-2011 Friday
8:59 PM - Name: Lacrosse 5 - Magnitude: 2.6
Int'l Designator: 2005-016-A
This is my 9th sighting of Lacrosse 5, a recon satellite for the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office). It was put into orbit using a Titan IV-B rocket.
9:02 PM - Name: Iridium 55 - Magnitude: -7.2
Int'l Designator: 1998-019-A
This is my first sighting of Iridium 55. It also marks the BRIGHTEST man-made object in space. I witnessed what is known as an 'Iridium flare' which is caused by light being reflected off of one of the 3 highly polished aluminum antennae. It was really bright. To put into some perspective, a full moon shines at about a -12 magnitude. The brightest that the ISS gets is around -4.5 magnitude. So this Iridium flare was almost twice as bright as the brightest object that I've ever seen to date. Additionally, Iridium flares usually max out at around -9.5, but those are few and very far between. Some are bright enough to be seen during the daytime. According to the orbit charts, when Iridium 55 passed over Marysville, it was nearly at a perfect angle to the sun in order to bounce the light right beck down on Marysville. It was like someone standing on top of my roof and shining one of those 9-LED flashlights directly at me. Did I mention that it was really bright?
9:13 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This was a fast moving yellow shooting star. It was kinda past the window for the Perseids, so it's just a plain ol shooting star that went from 70 to 65 degrees in the west.
9:15 PM - Name: Iridium 28 tum - Magnitude: 6.2
Int'l Designator: 1997-051-E
This is my first sighting of Iridium 28. This particular Iridium satellite is tumbling for some reason. In this sighting, it appears to have one long flash lasting about 10 seconds. Wikipedia only mentions that it failed in July 2008 and was replaced by Iridium 95, but doesn't state what actually occurred. In 1997, Iridium 28 was put into orbit (along with 6 other Iridium satellites) using a Russian Proton-K rocket.
9:22 PM - Name: Iridium 33 tum - Magnitude: 6.0
Int'l Designator: 1997-051-C
This is my first sighting of Iridium 33, another one of the tumbling Iridium satellites. This sighting was marked by having very short flashes. Iridium 33 was the satellite that was involved in the a collision with Kosmos 2151 in 2009 (which, I spotted a pieces from in August as well). Iridium 33 was put into orbit with the same Proton-K rocket that Iridium 33 into orbit (take note of the Int'l Designator numbers).
9:22 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -0.8
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 24th sighting of the ISS.
9:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to put Kosmos 1437, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, into orbit in 1983.
9:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 2151 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1991-042-A
This is my 2nd sighting of Kosmos 2151, a Russian Tselina-R (basically an improved Tselina-D) ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1991 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
9:38 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 14th sighting of Helios 1B, a French photo reconnaissance satellite. Launched in 1999 using an Ariane-40 H10-3 rocket, it ceased operation in 2005 due to a power supply failure.
9:43 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 1441, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1983 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
9:45 PM - Name: NOSS 2-1 (D) - Magnitude: 4.8
Int'l Designator: 1990-050-D
This is my first sighting of this NOSS 2-1 satellite. Now, I've marked this as NOSS 2-1 (D), however, NOSS 2 constellations come in threes. and currently all three satellites from NOSS 2-1 are in orbit, so it could be also be NOSS 2-1 C or NOSS 2-1 E. NOSS stands for Naval Ocean Surveillance System and is operated by the US Navy. The NOSS 2-1 trio of satellites was put into orbit using a Titan IV(405)A rocket. This is one of the few remaining three-satellite NOSS constellations in place, so a new goal is to see the trio in one session.
9:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1666 - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1985-058-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1666, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1985 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
9:51 PM - Name: USA 129/KH 12-3 - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1996-072-A
This is my 4th sighting of the third KH-12 keyhole optical reconnaissance satellite.
9:53 PM - Name: Cosmos 1151 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1980-005-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put Kosmos 1151, a Russian Okean-E ocean observation satellite, into orbit in 1980. There were only two Okean-E satellites put into orbit. This was the last one.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 28-August-2011 Sunday
9:02 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -1.3
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 25th sighting of the International Space Station (ISS)
9:04 PM - Name: Lacrosse 4 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.8
Int'l Designator: 2000-047-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Titan IV rocket. It was used to put Lacrosse 4, an NRO recon satellite, into orbit in 2000.
9:08 PM - Name: Cosmos 1242 - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 1981-008-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1242, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1981 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
9:19 PM - Name: FREGAT/IRIS - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 2009-049-C
This is my 2nd sighting of this Fregat, a Russian upper rocket stage. This particular rocket was used to put IRIS (Inflatable and Rigidizable Structure) which was an experiment, similar to the Bigelow Aerospace Genesis projects, where inflatable structures are being tested in space.
9:29 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 4th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket. It was used to put Kosmos 1437, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, into orbit in 1983.
9:36 PM - Name: Sich 1 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1995-046-C
This is my 2nd sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put Sich 1, the first Ukrainian earth observation satellite.
9:36 PM - Name: Cosmos 975 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.5
Int'l Designator: 1978-004-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket. It was used to put Kosmos 975, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, into orbit in 1978.
9:37 PM - Name: Alouette 2 Rocket - Magnitude: 5.8
Int'l Designator: 1965-098-C
This is my first sighting of this Thor Agena (more specifically, Thor-DM21 Agena-B) rocket. This object was moving much slower than most due to its high altitude. This object is also my first object from 1965 to be spotted. This Thor Agena was used to put two satellites into orbit: Alouette 2 and Explorer 31. Alouette 2 was a Canadian research satellite designed to explore the ionosphere. Explorer 31 (aka DIME A), a US satellite, had similar goals or exploring the ionosphere.
9:41 PM - Name: Cosmos 1666 - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1985-058-A
This is my 2nd sighting of Kosmos 1666, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit in 1985 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
9:47 PM - Name: SPEKTR R R/B aka 11037B - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 2011-037-B
This is my first sighting of this Ukrainian Zenit-3M rocket with a Fregat upper stage. It was used to put the Russian Spektr-R orbital radio telescope into orbit in 2011. Spektr-R will work with land based telescopes in order to (in theory) provide images that are 1000x better than Hubble.
9:50 PM - Name: TecSAR Rocket or PSLV R/B - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-002-B
This is my first sighting of this particular Indian PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket. It was used in 2008 to put, TecSAR, an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, into orbit.
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