Chronology - Quarter 1 2007
PreviousHomeNext
2007 January 10 - 04:16 GMT - Launch Site: Sriharikota. Launch Complex: LP1. Launch Vehicle: PSLV. Model: PSLV-C7.
  • LAPAN Tubsat Nation: Indonesia. Mass: 56 kg (123 lb). Class: Technology. Perigee: 620 km (380 mi). Apogee: 638 km (396 mi). Inclination: 97.90 deg. Period: 97.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-001A. USAF Sat Cat: 29709. Experimental satellite developed with assistance from TUB (Berlin Technical University. It carried a 5-meter-resolution surveillance camera.
  • Cartosat-2 Nation: India. Mass: 680 kg (1,490 lb). Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian. Spacecraft: IRS. Perigee: 629 km (390 mi). Apogee: 644 km (400 mi). Inclination: 98.00 deg. Period: 97.40 min. COSPAR: 2007-001B. USAF Sat Cat: 29710. The satellite was the twelfth in the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series and was capable of providing scene-specific spot imagery. The panchromatic camera provided imagery with a spatial resolution of better than one metre and a swath of 9.6 km. Data from the satellite was to be used for detailed mapping.
  • SRE-1 Nation: India. Mass: 550 kg (1,210 lb). Class: Technology. Type: Re-entry. Spacecraft: SRE. Perigee: 620 km (380 mi). Apogee: 643 km (399 mi). Inclination: 97.90 deg. Period: 97.40 min. COSPAR: 2007-001C. USAF Sat Cat: 29711. India's Space Recovery Experiment-1 India's SRE-1 first lowered to its orbit to 485 km x 643 km on January 20. A 10-minute deorbit burn began at 03:30 GMT on January 22, with re-entry beginning at 04:07 and a successful splashdown at 04:16 GMT in the Bay of Bengal near 13.3 N / 81.4E. The capsule was successfully recovered by the Indian Navy. The capsule returned two microgravity payloads as well as proving basic technologies for any eventual Indian manned space program. It was also announced that the capsule could be used to orbit further microgravity payloads at low cost to customers.
  • Pehuensat Nation: Argentina. Mass: 6.00 kg (13.20 lb). Class: Technology. Perigee: 621 km (385 mi). Apogee: 641 km (398 mi). Inclination: 97.90 deg. Period: 97.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-001D. USAF Sat Cat: 29712. Experimental satellite developed by the Universidad Nacional del Comahue and AMSAT-LU. The satellte remained attached to the PSLV's Dual Launch Adapter.
2007 January 11 - 22:28 GMT - Launch Site: Xichang. Launch Vehicle: DF-21.
  • Chinese ASAT destroys FY-1C target satellite. Nation: China. Class: Military. Type: ASAT. Spacecraft: Chinese ASAT. Apogee: 850 km (520 mi). The FY-1C satellite, launched on 10 May 1999, was presumably well past the end of its operational life. It was destroyed in a test of a Chinese ASAT weapon at an altitude of 850 km, 4 degrees west of Xichang. Launch vehicle was unknown, but a version of the DF-21 IRBM would be sufficient to reach that altitude. Reportedly the flight had been preceded by one to three earlier tests that were either failures or just aimed at a point in space. The program was apparently very secret, and the Chinese foreign ministry was caught by surprise by the test and the storm of international condemnation that followed. The FY-1C was blown into over 200 pieces of debris, adding immediately by 10% to the population of space junk that threatens lower-altitude satellites.
2007 January 18 - 02:12 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Progress M-59 Nation: Russia. Program: ISS. Payload: Progress M s/n 359. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Class: Manned. Type: Logistics. Spacecraft: Progress M. Manufacturer: RKK Energia. Agency: Roskosmos. Perigee: 321 km (199 mi). Apogee: 351 km (218 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-002A. USAF Sat Cat: 29714. Flight: ISS EO-14, ISS EO-14-1. Progress docked to the Pirs port of the ISS at 01:59 GMT on 20 January. The cargo craft brought up 780 kg of propellant for the Russian thrusters, 50 kg of oxygen and 1500 kg of spare parts, experiment hardware and life support components.
2007 January 19 - 12:29 GMT - Launch Site: Poker Flat. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant VC.
  • NASA 21.138UE Nation: USA. Payload: JOULE II. Agency: NASA/Clemson. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Auroral
  • NASA 36.234UE Nation: USA. Payload: JOULE II. Agency: NASA/Clemson. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Auroral
2007 January 30 - 23:22 GMT - Launch Site: Kiritimati. Launch Complex: Odyssey. Launch Vehicle: Zenit-3SL. FAILURE: First stage exploded just after ignition, damaging launch platform.
  • NSS 8 Nation: Netherlands. Program: Intelsat. Mass: 6,100 kg (13,400 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: HS 702. Manufacturer: Boeing Satellite Systems. Agency: New Skies Satellites (International). COSPAR: F20070130. The platform was designed to survive such an explosion, but the flame deflector was blown off and the blast doors unhinged. The launch platform was towed back to Long Beach for repairs. The time required to repair the platform and the investigation to determine and fix the cause would certainly impact the 2007 Zenit-3SL and Zenit-2 launch schedules, probably forcing customers to be diverted to other boosters. NSS-8 was to have been placed at a 57º East orbital position to satisfy demand in the Indian Ocean region with 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders. NSS-703, with an expected end-of-life in 2009, would have to continue in service until a replacement was built and launched.
2007 February 2 - 16:28 GMT - Launch Site: Xichang. Launch Vehicle: CZ-3A.
  • Beidou 2A Nation: China. Payload: Beiduou 1D. Mass: 2,200 kg (4,800 lb). Class: Navigation. Spacecraft: Beidou. Perigee: 35,326 km (21,950 mi). Apogee: 36,248 km (22,523 mi). Inclination: 6.20 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. COSPAR: 2007-003A. USAF Sat Cat: 30323. Fourth Beidou satellite. It did not reach geostationary orbit until early April following deployment problems with its solar panels and reports of US detection of a debris cloud at the time of the original expected apogee firing.
2007 February 7 - 08:14 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Minuteman 3.
  • GT-193GM operational test launch Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,300 km (800 mi).
2007 February 12 - 12:45 GMT - Launch Site: Poker Flat. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant XII.
  • NASA 40.020UE Nation: USA. Payload: ROPA. Agency: NASA/Dartmouth. Apogee: 748 km (464 mi). Auroral
2007 February 14 - 09:27 GMT - Launch Site: Poker Flat. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant X.
  • NASA 35.037 Nation: USA. Payload: HEX-II H. Agency: NASA/U. Alaska. Apogee: 150 km (90 mi). Auroral/Atmosphere
2007 February 17 - 23:01 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17. Launch Pad: SLC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7000. Model: Delta 7925.
  • Themis P1 Nation: USA. Payload: Themis A. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Manufacturer: Swales. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 1,003 km (623 mi). Apogee: 87,254 km (54,217 mi). Inclination: 14.10 deg. Period: 1,882.70 min. COSPAR: 2007-004A. USAF Sat Cat: 30580. The five simultaneously-launched Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) satellites were the fifth medium-class mission under NASA's Explorer Program. They formed part of a combined ground- and space- based system designed to determine what physical process in near-Earth space initiate the violent eruptions of the aurora that occur during substorms in the Earth's magnetosphere.
  • Themis P2 Nation: USA. Payload: Themis B. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Manufacturer: Swales. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 1,004 km (623 mi). Apogee: 87,114 km (54,130 mi). Inclination: 14.10 deg. Period: 1,878.80 min. COSPAR: 2007-004B. USAF Sat Cat: 30581.
  • Themis P3 Nation: USA. Payload: Themis C. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Manufacturer: Swales. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 736 km (457 mi). Apogee: 87,792 km (54,551 mi). Inclination: 14.20 deg. Period: 1,890.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-004C. USAF Sat Cat: 30582.
  • Themis P4 Nation: USA. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Manufacturer: Swales. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 2007-004D.
  • Themis P5 Nation: USA. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Manufacturer: Swales. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 2007-004E.
2007 February 24 - 04:41 GMT - Launch Site: Tanegashima. Launch Complex: YLP1. Launch Vehicle: H-2A. Model: H-IIA 2024. LV Configuration: H-IIA 2024 F-12.
  • IGS-2 Nation: Japan. Payload: IGS 4A. Mass: 1,200 kg (2,600 lb). Class: Surveillance. Type: Radarsat. Spacecraft: IGS. Manufacturer: Melco. Agency: JAXA/CSICE. COSPAR: 2007-005A. USAF Sat Cat: 30586. Information Gathering Satellite Radar-2. Japanese military satellite using a synthetic aperture radar for all-weather, 24-hour, high-resolution surveillance of the earth.
  • IGS-3V Nation: Japan. Payload: IGS 4B. Mass: 850 kg (1,870 lb). Class: Surveillance. Type: Military. Spacecraft: IGS. Manufacturer: Melco. Agency: JAXA/CSICE. COSPAR: 2007-005B. USAF Sat Cat: 30587. Optical-3 Verification Satellite, an experimental satellite on a six-month mission to test payloads planned for the Optical-3 second-generation Japanese military optical surveillance satellite. The production-type Optical-3 satellite was expected to launch in 2009.
2007 February 28 - 08:39 GMT - Launch Site: Poker Flat. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant XII.
  • NASA 40.019UE Nation: USA. Payload: CHARM. Agency: NASA/Dartmouth. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi). Auroral
2007 March 9 - 03:10 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC41. Launch Pad: SLC41. Launch Vehicle: Atlas V. LV Configuration: Atlas V/401.
  • Astro Nation: USA. Mass: 1,090 kg (2,400 lb). Class: Technology. Type: Rendezvous. Spacecraft: Orbital Express Astro. Manufacturer: Boeing. Agency: DARPA. Perigee: 491 km (305 mi). Apogee: 498 km (309 mi). Inclination: 46.00 deg. Period: 94.50 min. COSPAR: 2007-006A. USAF Sat Cat: 30772. The active satellite portion of DARPA's Orbital Express satellite servicing experiment. Following operational tests while still joined or grappled together, the first 10-m distance Nextsat free flight and redocking by Astro was conducted on 5 May. On the second free-flight test on 11 May a serious computer failure left the two spacecraft 6 km apart. The problem was solved, revised software was uploaded to Astro, and it redocked with Nextsat on 19 May.
  • Midstar 1 Nation: USA. Mass: 120 kg (260 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: Midstar. Manufacturer: USNA. Agency: USN Postgraduate School. Perigee: 495 km (307 mi). Apogee: 498 km (309 mi). Inclination: 46.00 deg. Period: 94.50 min. COSPAR: 2007-006B. USAF Sat Cat: 30773. MidSTAR-1 was flown under the DoD Space Test Program and carried the Internet Communications Satellite (ICSat) Experiment (SERB 2002-39) and the Configurable Fault Tolerant Processor (CFTP) Experiment for the Naval Postgraduate School (SERB 2002-34). Planned mission duration was two years.
  • NextSat Nation: USA. Mass: 250 kg (550 lb). Class: Technology. Type: Rendezvous. Spacecraft: RS-300. Manufacturer: Ball. Agency: DARPA. Perigee: 491 km (305 mi). Apogee: 498 km (309 mi). Inclination: 46.00 deg. Period: 94.50 min. COSPAR: 2007-006C. USAF Sat Cat: 30774. The passive satellite portion of DARPA's Orbital Express satellite servicing experiment. NextSat carried hydrazine for fluid transfer experiments, but no propulsion system. Attitude was controlled by momentum wheels supplemented by magnetic torquer rods.
  • STPSat-1 Nation: USA. Mass: 170 kg (370 lb). Class: Technology. Manufacturer: AeroAstro. Agency: USAFRL. Perigee: 558 km (346 mi). Apogee: 560 km (340 mi). Inclination: 35.40 deg. Period: 95.80 min. COSPAR: 2007-006D. USAF Sat Cat: 30775. STPSat carried experiments to study the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and radiation environment. It also released the two MEPSI picosatellites.
  • Falconsat-3 Nation: USA. Mass: 50 kg (110 lb). Class: Technology. Manufacturer: USAF Academy. Agency: USAF Academy. Perigee: 558 km (346 mi). Apogee: 559 km (347 mi). Inclination: 35.40 deg. Period: 95.80 min. COSPAR: 2007-006E. USAF Sat Cat: 30776. USAF Academy student satellite with ionospheric experiments and plasma atttiude control thrusters.
  • CFESat Nation: USA. Payload: Heavily modified Surrey MicroSat-100. Mass: 159 kg (350 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: MicroSat-100. Manufacturer: Surrey. Agency: LANL. Perigee: 558 km (346 mi). Apogee: 563 km (349 mi). Inclination: 35.40 deg. Period: 95.90 min. COSPAR: 2007-006F. USAF Sat Cat: 30777. The Cibola Flight Experiment satellites carried eight new technologies for space flight validation, including a new power supply, inflatable antennas, deployable booms, a new type of launch-vehicle separation system, and a high-density pack of AA lithium-ion batteries. Cibola's on-board field programmable gate array supercomputer processed data onboard, then beamed only the results rather than the raw data to the ground. The Cibola also had a science mission: the study of lightning, ionospheric disturbances, and other sources of radio frequency (RF) atmospheric noise.
  • MEPSI Picosat Nation: USA. Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Manufacturer: Aerospace. Agency: DARPA. Perigee: 558 km (346 mi). Apogee: 563 km (349 mi). Inclination: 35.40 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. COSPAR: 2007-006x. Released from STPSat.
  • MEPSI Picosat Nation: USA. Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Manufacturer: Aerospace. Agency: DARPA. Perigee: 558 km (346 mi). Apogee: 563 km (349 mi). Inclination: 35.40 deg. COSPAR: 2007-006x. Released from STPSat.
2007 March 11 - 22:03 GMT - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Complex: ELA3. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 5 EC-A.
  • Insat 4B Nation: India. Program: Insat. Mass: 3,035 kg (6,691 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: Insat 3. Manufacturer: ISRO. Agency: ISRO. COSPAR: 2007-007A. USAF Sat Cat: 30793. ISRO communications satellite with C and Ku band channels, and a dry mass of 1335 kg
  • Skynet 5A Nation: UK. Mass: 4,635 kg (10,218 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Military. Spacecraft: Eurostar 3000. Manufacturer: EADS Astrium. Agency: Paradigm. Perigee: 35,772 km (22,227 mi). Apogee: 35,800 km (22,200 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. COSPAR: 2007-007B. USAF Sat Cat: 30794. Skynet 5A was launched by Paradigm Secure Communications as part of its turnkey contract to provide a secure communications satellite network to the British military and NATO.
2007 March 21 - 01:10 GMT - Launch Site: Kwajalein. Launch Complex: Omelek. Launch Vehicle: Falcon I. FAILURE: Liquid oxygen slosh in the second stage created an oscillation, putting the stage in an uncontrollable roll, starving the engine from propellant.
  • DemoFlight 2 Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Agency: DARPA. COSPAR: F20070321. An oscillation appeared in the upper stage control system 90 seconds into the burn. This instability grew and after 30 seconds induced a roll torque that exceeded the control capability of the second stage roll control thrusters. The propellants were centrifuged away from the outlets, causing flame-out of the Kestrel engine. LOX slosh was believed to be the primary contributor to this instability. Second stage slosh baffles would be included in future boosters to prevent reoccurence of the problem.
2007 March 21 - 04:27 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Minotaur. Model: Minotaur-2.
  • TLV-5 / SBX Target Nation: USA.
PreviousHomeNext
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments.
Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.

© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2007 except where otherwise noted.
  
Encyclopedia Astronautica
 topic index
0 - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - Ra - Re - Sa - Sf - Sp - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z