Lift-off from CCAFS occurred on 2007 Jun 15, at 15:12 UTC, 8 min later than planned. The launch vehicle was an Atlas 5-401. I suspect that the target plane is close to that of NOSS 2-3 (96029C, D and E). Assuming the same ascent trajectory as NOSS 3-3 (05004A and C), which launched from CCAFS aboard an Atlas 3B-SEC, and that the 8 min delay would not affect the RAAN (right-ascension of the ascending node of the orbital plane), then this would be the orbit of the leading payload at the first ascending node: NOSS 3-4 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.9 v 1 70002U 07166.70111494 .00000011 00000-0 20000-4 0 07 2 70002 63.4420 42.8917 0107863 182.7436 177.3009 13.39714521 00 The plane of the above orbit happens to be about 2 deg east of the 96029 plane, and I suspect it to be within +/- 5 deg of the intended plane. I recommend allowing at least 5 min prediction time uncertainty. The second payload will trail the above by a short distance. The Centaur may also be nearby. I have a pass tonight, Jun 16 near 02:28 UTC, low in the west, late in twilight. The weather forecast suggests a definite slim chance of seeing low Earth orbit. Ted Molczan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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