Re: Satellite designations in orbit - was re:
Jean-Philippe Donnio - TBS-satellite (jpdonnio@tags1.dn.net)
Thu, 22 Aug 1996 12:33:33 +0100
At 02:43 22.08.96 -0400, you wrote:
>When Hughes contracted to build two HS-601 satellites for Australia, they
>were originally known as the Aussat B series. Later the customer chose to
>rename them Optus, well before their launches.
This was because the company changed name (after being sold or privatized)
so all satellites were renamed Optus.
>Each of the Japanese satellites is given a rather poetic name after it
>becomes operational in orbit. EGP/EGS is Ajisai for example.
At least NASDA and ISAS bird have poetic names, commercial satellites tend
not to follow this scheme (Superbird, Jcsat... BTW Jcsat is a funny one
since although the company changed named recently (now called JSAT) the
current and future crafts are still called JCSAT)
>Ham satellites usually have a project designation on the ground, and an
>OSCAR designation once they're in orbit. For example, Japan Amateur
>Satellite-2 (JAS-2) was the piggyback payload on the recent H-II launch,
>and should be named Fuji OSCAR-29 in the near future. (Fuji for Japan,
>OSCAR = Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio, 29 for the 29th amateur
>satellite to be placed in orbit). If an amateur satellite does not achieve
>orbit (e.g. Phase 3-A lost in an Ariane 1 accident or UNAMSAT-A lost in a
>START accident) then it isn't given a OSCAR designation. However once an
>OSCAR designation is given it doesn't go away, even if the satellite has an
>activation failure.
Posat (PO-28 alias Oscar 28) is an exception in this scheme since it was
attributed an Oscar number although it isn't devoted to HAM radio (it should
have been, but the Portugueses changed their mind after launch!)
>NASA uses designations for its payloads based on its contracts with its
>customers, but the customer may call their satellites by different
>designations once they're in orbit. The Telesat series went up through
>about H or I if I recall correctly, but those satellites were known as the
>Anik D series or Anik C series, etc.
The Telesat x (x being a digit) was also used.
>Telstar 3A, 3B, and 3C, were renamed Telstar 301, 302, and 303 in orbit.
You can also encounter the "Telestar" notation; this one is probably due to
a typo.
>Galaxy 1 was supposed to be replaced by Galaxy 1R, but Galaxy 1R was lost
>in an Atlas launch vehicle failure. The replacement replacement was
>launched on a Delta, but just to confuse the issue was also known as Galaxy
>1R. So there are two spacecraft which have that designation, but only one
>which made it to orbit.
This kind of double designation is also to be found in the Cosmos program.
>A shuttle mission has many different designations including STS-79,
>Atlantis, OV-104-17, Mir 4, etc.
Yes, this is also the occasion to mention satellites named like on of their
payload e.g. GRO (Gamma Ray Observatory) also called Compton.
>The key confusion is the TDRS series. TDRS-A became TDRS-1 in orbit. Fine.
>TDRS-B was lost in the Challenger accident. TDRS-C was launched on STS-26,
>and presumably should have been renamed TDRS-2, however it wasn't - it was
>named TDRS-3. So the designation TDRS-2 was never used, a contradiction of
>how all other NASA satellite series have been named.
This is not widely admitted since you will find people naming TDRS birds
with 1 unit shift because they call TDRS C TDRS 2. This confusion stops
with TDRS 7 AFAIK.
As Philip would say "modestly prevent me to" tell you that The Satellite's
Encyclopedia (alias TSE) is a good place to look for satellite synonyms :)
--
Jean-Philippe Donnio jpdonnio@tags1.dn.net
TBS-satellite http://tags1.dn.net
The Satellite's Encyclopedia http://www.TELE-satellit.com/tse/online/