Chronology - Quarter 3 2007
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2007 July 2 - 19:38 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M.
  • SAR-Lupe 2 Nation: Germany. Mass: 770 kg (1,690 lb). Class: Surveillance. Type: Radarsat. Spacecraft: SAR-Lupe. Manufacturer: OHB-System. Agency: BWB. Perigee: 470 km (290 mi). Apogee: 508 km (315 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 94.40 min. COSPAR: 2007-030A. USAF Sat Cat: 31797. Second of five planned German military surveillance satellites using synthetic aperture radar for target coverage at night and in all weathers.
2007 July 5 - 12:08 GMT - Launch Site: Xichang. Launch Vehicle: CZ-3B.
  • Chinasat 6B Nation: China. Payload: Spacebus 4000C2. Mass: 4,600 kg (10,100 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: Spacebus 4000. Manufacturer: Thales Alenia Space. Agency: ChinaSatCom. Perigee: 233 km (144 mi). Apogee: 49,722 km (30,895 mi). Inclination: 24.20 deg. Period: 920.90 min. COSPAR: 2007-031A. USAF Sat Cat: 31800. Direct broadcast satellite, capable of transmitting 300 television channels using 38 transponders. To be positioned at 115.5 deg E, beaming signals to China, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Planned mission life 15 years.
2007 July 7 - 01:16 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82M. LV Configuration: Proton-M/Briz M.
  • DirecTV-10 Nation: USA. Program: DirecTV. Mass: 5,893 kg (12,991 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: HS 702. Manufacturer: Boeing. Agency: DirecTV. Perigee: 4,921 km (3,057 mi). Apogee: 36,526 km (22,696 mi). Inclination: 21.30 deg. Period: 740.00 min. COSPAR: 2007-032A. USAF Sat Cat: 31862. First launch of a pair of satellites, DirecTV 10 and 11, that will beam HDTV programs to 500 local markets from the company's primary orbital slot at 101 degrees west longitude. Acquisition and launch cost of $300 million per satellite; one ground spare also built.
2007 August 2 - 17:33 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Progress M-61 Nation: Russia. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Logistics. Spacecraft: Progress M. Perigee: 334 km (207 mi). Apogee: 346 km (214 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-033A. USAF Sat Cat: 32001. International space station resupply; docked with the Pirs module at 18:40 GMT on 5 August.
2007 August 4 - 09:26 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17. Launch Pad: SLC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7000. Model: Delta 7925.
  • Phoenix Nation: USA. Mass: 680 kg (1,490 lb). Class: Planetary. Type: Mars. Spacecraft: Phoenix. Agency: NASA. COSPAR: 2007-034A. USAF Sat Cat: 32003. Mars lander based on surplus hardware from the cancelled Mars Surveyor 2001 and the failed Mars Polar Lander (whence the Phoenix designation). The planned landing location was in the north of Mars, at Vastitas Borealis. The spacecraft consisted of a cruise stage, aeroshell for re-entry, backshell for protection of the lander, parachute system for braking the lander after re-entry, and liquid propellant rocket system for a soft touchdown on the surface. The lander was equipped with a robotic arm, soil analysis instruments, meteorology instruments, and cameras.
2007 August 8 - 22:36 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC39. Launch Pad: LC39A. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Model: Space Shuttle. LV Configuration: STS-118: SRM RSRM-97, ET-117, Orbiter OV-105.
  • STS-118 Nation: USA. Program: ISS. Payload: Endeavour F20 / S5, Spacehab. Mass: 14,036 kg (30,944 lb). Class: Manned. Type: Spaceplane. Spacecraft: Endeavour. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 337 km (209 mi). Apogee: 348 km (216 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.40 min. COSPAR: 2007-035A. USAF Sat Cat: 32008. Duration: 12.75 days. Crew: Kelly Scott, Hobaugh, Caldwell, Mastracchio, Williams Dave, Morgan, Drew. Flight: ISS EO-15, STS-118, ISS EO-15-1. Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched on Aug 8 at 2236 UTC. The STS-118 stack comprised Orbiter OV-105, solid rockets RSRM-97 and external tank ET-117. The solid boosters separated 2 min after launch. At 2245 UTC the orbiter main engines cut off and ET-117 separated into an approximately 57 x 225 km x 51.6 deg orbit. The OMS-2 burn at 2313 UTC put Endeavour in a higher 229 x 317 km orbit as the ET fell back to reentry around 2346 UTC. Crew of STS-118 are Scott Kelly, Charles Hobaugh, Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Dafydd Williams, Barbara Morgan, and Al Drew. During ascent a large chunk of external tank foam was observed to hit the underside of the orbiter. Examination in orbit using the robotic arm showed a hole in a heat shield tile that went down to the felt mounting pad. There was considerable press discussion of the danger, but as the mission drew to a close NASA decided that no lasting damage would be incurred during reentry to the orbiter structure, and called off a potential extra spacewalk to repair the tile.

    Endeavour docked at the PMA-2 adapter on the Station at 18:02 GMT on 10 August; the hatches were opened at 20:04.

    The 14036 kg of cargo broke down as follows:

    • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System, 1800 kg
    • Bay 1-2: EMU 3010, 130 kg
    • Bay 1-2: EMU 3017, 130 kg
    • Bay 3: Tunnel Adapter, 112 kg
    • Bay 5-7: Spacehab-SM Single Module, 5480 kg: Loaded with research experimental equipment and consumables to be left at the station.
    • Bay 8P: SPDU: Station Power Distribution Unit, will be left at the ISS and allow the Orbiter to draw electricity from the station while docked, allowing longer missions
    • Bay 8-10: S5 Truss, 1584 kg: a short spacer truss installed at the end of the ISS S4 truss during the mission, to eliminate interference with the S6 solar panels when they would be added later
    • Bay 11-12: ESP-3, 3400 kg: External Stowage Platform 3, left at the ISS, provided external storage for spare parts, and was delivered with a spare nitrogen tank for the truss cooling system, a spare truss battery charge/discharge unit (BCDU), a spare Canadarm-2 robot arm pitch roll joint, and a replacement Control Moment Gyro for the Z1 truss
    • Bay 11-12: CMG-3R ORU, 540 kg
    • Sill: OBSS, 450 kg
    • Sill: RMS 201, 410 kg
    The shuttle's RMS 201 robotic arm moved the S5 truss from the payload bay at 20:50 on 10 August. It was handed over to the station's Canadarm-2 robotic arm, which then attached it to the S4 truss at 17:30 on 11 August, with astronauts assisting on the first of four spacewalks of the mission. On 14 August, ESP-3 was unberthed from Endeavour's payload bay and attached to the P3 truss on the Station, where its spare parts can be reached if needed.

    Following successful completion of all cargo delivery and station assembly tasks, the crew returned to Endeavour on 18 August, undocking the next day at 11:56 GMT. Landing was moved up a day ahead of schedule because of concern a hurricane might force evacuation of the Houston Control Center on the originally-planned return date. Endeavour began its deorbit burn at 15:25 GMT on August 21 and lowered its orbit from 336 x 347 km to -28 x 342 km. It landed on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 16:32 GMT. Landing mass was 100,878 kg.

2007 August 13 - 05:45 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Model: Black Brant IX.
  • NASA 36.220UG Nation: USA. Payload: JHU LIDOS 2. Agency: NASA/JHU. Apogee: 278 km (172 mi). UV Astronomy
2007 August 14 - 23:44 GMT - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Complex: ELA3. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 5 EC-A.
  • Spaceway 3 Nation: USA. Mass: 6,075 kg (13,393 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: HS 702. Manufacturer: Boeing Satellite Systems. Agency: Hughes Network Systems. Perigee: 26,629 km (16,546 mi). Apogee: 44,893 km (27,895 mi). Inclination: 0.20 deg. Period: 1,434.80 min. COSPAR: 2007-036A. USAF Sat Cat: 32018. Satellite launched for Hughes Network Systems, with a Ka-band payload for space-based internet. Mass 3655 kg dry.
  • BSAT-3A Nation: Japan. Payload: A2100A. Mass: 1,967 kg (4,336 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: AS 2100. Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin. Agency: BSAT. Perigee: 35,746 km (22,211 mi). Apogee: 35,826 km (22,261 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.00 min. COSPAR: 2007-036B. Satllite launched for the Japan Broadcasting Satellite Systems Corp. (BSAT) with a Ku-band television payload. Mass 930 kg dry.
2007 September 2 - 12:50 GMT - Launch Site: Sriharikota. Launch Vehicle: GSLV.
  • Insat 4CR Nation: India. Class: Communications. Spacecraft: Insat 3. Perigee: 35,221 km (21,885 mi). Apogee: 35,790 km (22,230 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 421.80 min. COSPAR: 2007-037A. USAF Sat Cat: 32050. Ku-band television satellite.
2007 September 5 - 22:43 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82M. LV Configuration: Proton-M s/n 53522 /Briz-M s/n 88522. FAILURE: Second stage engine failure soon after ignition. 2007 September 11 - 13:05 GMT - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Complex: LC132. Launch Pad: LC132/1. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M.
  • Cosmos 2429 Nation: Russia. Class: Navigation. Spacecraft: Parus. Perigee: 956 km (594 mi). Apogee: 999 km (620 mi). Inclination: 83.00 deg. Period: 104.60 min. COSPAR: 2007-038A. USAF Sat Cat: 32052. Military navigation satellite. Replenishment launch for Russian navigation satellite constellation. Six satellites were needed to maintain minimum operational capability.
2007 September 14 - 01:31 GMT - Launch Site: Tanegashima. Launch Vehicle: H-2A. LV Configuration: H-IIA 2022.
  • Kaguya Nation: Japan. Payload: Selene. Class: Planetary. Type: Lunar. Spacecraft: Kaguya. COSPAR: 2007-039A. USAF Sat Cat: 32054. Another of a series of new lunar probes to be launched in the next few years by China, India, Japan, USA, and Europe. Selene was dubbed Kaguya, a Japanese moon goddess, after launch. It included an HDTV camera. In lunar orbit two subsatellites would be released to provide continuous communications as well as better characterize the moon's gravity field. By 30 September Kaguya was in a 2243 km x 378,132 km lunar transfer orbit. On 3 October at 21:00 GMT it entered its initial 101 km x 11741 km x 95 deg lunar orbit. It then began maneuvers to enter its operational 100 km circular orbit, releasing the subsatellites on 9 and 12 October.
2007 September 14 - 11:00 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Foton M-3 Nation: Russia. Class: Materials. Spacecraft: Foton. Manufacturer: TsSKB-Progress. Agency: Roskosmos. Perigee: 258 km (160 mi). Apogee: 280 km (170 mi). Inclination: 62.90 deg. Period: 89.90 min. COSPAR: 2007-040A. USAF Sat Cat: 32058. Recoverable spacecraft derived from the Vostok. Carried Russian and European microgravy, life sciences and technology experiments. After deploying the YES-2 tether on 25 September, Foton M-3 was deorbited at 07:23 GMT on 26 September and successfully landed at 07:58 GMT in Kazakhstan.
  • YES-2 Nation: Europe. Payload: Young Engineers Satellite. Mass: 5.00 kg (11.00 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: YES. Manufacturer: European Space Tech. Centre, Noordwijk. Agency: ESA. COSPAR: 2007-040x. YES-2/Fotino space tether for re-entry experiment. The YES-2 tether was deployed from the Nauka module at the front end of Foton at 04:47 on 25 September, and releaed at 07:20 after reaching only 8.5 km of the planned 30 km tether length. The 5 kg Fotino reentry capsule separated from the MASS data support system at the end of the tether at around 07:30. The idea was to toss the Fotino against the direction of orbital motion to push it into a lower orbit and re-entry without the need for a retrorocket. Unfortunately the final outcome of the experiment remained unknown.
2007 September 18 - 18:35 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC2. Launch Pad: SLC2W. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7000. Model: Delta 7920.
  • WorldView 1 Nation: USA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian. Spacecraft: WorldView. Perigee: 492 km (305 mi). Apogee: 496 km (308 mi). Inclination: 97.50 deg. Period: 94.50 min. COSPAR: 2007-041A. USAF Sat Cat: 32060. Spacecraft was equipped with a 0.6-m aperture telescope for high resolution surveillance. Civilian, but primary customer was to be the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
2007 September 19 - 03:26 GMT - Launch Site: Taiyuan. Launch Vehicle: CZ-4B.
  • CBERS-2B Nation: China/Brazil. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian. Spacecraft: ZY. Perigee: 773 km (480 mi). Apogee: 775 km (481 mi). Inclination: 98.50 deg. Period: 100.30 min. COSPAR: 2007-042A. USAF Sat Cat: 32062. Third China-Brazil joint earth resources satellite. Much higher resolution optics and multispectral sensors expected to be useful for some military applications as well. The satellite raised its orbit to its operational altitude of 773 km two days after launch.
2007 September 27 - 11:34 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17. Launch Pad: SLC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7000. Model: Delta 7925H.
  • Dawn Nation: USA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian. Spacecraft: Dawn. COSPAR: 2007-043A. USAF Sat Cat: 32249. Asteroid belt unmanned probe designed to first orbit and survey the asteroid Vesta, and then fly on to the largest asteroid, Ceres. The Delta upper stage boosted the spacecraft and PAM-D solid third stage to 9.01 km/sec and a 185 km x 6835 km orbit. The PAM-D fired at 12:29 GMT and released Dawn after accelerating it to 11.50 km/sec and sending it into a 1.00 AU x 1.62 AU x 0.5 deg solar orbit. The ion engines were ignited on 6 October. Using its ion engines and a Mars flyby in February 2009, Dawn was scheduled to reach Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015.
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