RE: Cosmos 2278
Jeff Hunt (jeff@satellite.eu.org)
Sat, 29 Nov 97 15:35:35
--- On Sat, 29 Nov 1997 14:07:08 +0100 Karsten Isenberg
<isenberg@usa.net> wrote:
>Can anyone explain why does COSMOS 2278 operate only in the near of
day-night frontier?
According to the Satellite Encylopedia
http://www.tele-satellit.com/tse/online/
Cosmos 2278/23087/94-023A was one in a family of signal intelligence
gathering satellites (4th generation) called Tselina 2. They were placed
in four different orbital planes spaced 45 deg. apart, apparently all
were inclined near 71 deg. They had an expected lifetime of 3 years.
Looking at some of the other sats in this family, this plane just happens
to allow the sat to be in continious daylight for most of the year except
during the northern hemisphere Summer when it goes into night passes over
the southern hemisphere. Of course one advantage for this plane is that
the solar arrays would be in near continious sunlight. Anyway, that's my
guess;-)
Jeff Hunt <jeff@satellite.eu.org>