Re: Cosmos 2343 de-orbited?
Phillip Clark (psclark@dircon.co.uk)
Sat, 20 Sep 1997 06:54:07 +0100 (BST)
On Fri, 19 Sep 1997, Alan Pickup wrote:
> The Russian reconnaissance satellite Cosmos 2343 (97- 24 A), launched on
> May 15, appears to have been de-orbited yesterday, September 18.
> The latest (final?) elsets from OIG are:
> Cosmos 2343 6.0 0.0 0.0 4.0 d 284 x 224 km
> 1 24805U 97024A 97259.77916667 .00239161 33468-4 25841-3 0 2965
> 2 24805 64.8481 355.1740 0045168 110.5666 252.1538 16.07433468 19936
> Cosmos 2343 6.0 0.0 0.0 4.0 d 217 x 182 km
> 1 24805U 97024A 97261.38908533 .14023322 73967-5 34948-2 0 2992
> 2 24805 64.7650 349.4118 0026463 103.6203 256.7926 16.27575160 20183
Actually, like all other sixth generaton photoreconnaissance satellites,
this payload was deliberately exploded in orbit to terminate the
mission. Some debris reached out to around 900 km apogee, but it is
unlikely that the debris will reach the satellite catalogues which "mere
mortals" like us can see !
Phillip Clark
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Phillip S Clark 25 Redfern Avenue
Molniya Space Consultancy Whitton
Compiler/Publisher, Worldwide Satellite Launches Middx TW4 5NA
Editor, Jane's Space Directory U.K.
Specialist in "space archeology" - the older and more obscure the more
interesting it is !
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