Meteor (satellite)
The Meteor satellites are Soviet or Russian weather satellite. They are used to monitor the temperature of the atmosphere and the ocean, the humidity, and ( by optical sensors) the measurement of cloud formation, ice and snow cover.
Versions
The development of the first generation of satellites began in October 1960. The first satellite of the Meteor series were launched in 1964 initially under the codename cosmos. Officially cosmos was first called 122 (Start on June 25, 1966) as a weather satellite, but even before that were, for example, with the cosmos 44, 58, 100 and 118 satellites launched to study the atmosphere. All satellites stored at least partially the data to then send flying over the ground stations. To provide better coverage and more frequent data from the same field, always a number of satellites were in general at the same time in the orbit.
Meteor -1
With the launch of Meteor -1-1 on February 1, 1969, the satellite wore then officially this designation. The first launch failed, however, by an error in the upper stage of the launch vehicle and so the started on March 26, 1969 successor was only the name Meteor -1 -1. Total to 1977 ten cosmos and 28 Meteor 1 of this series were launched. The instruments were, among others, two cameras in the spectral band from 0.3 to 3 microns and 8-12 microns and a swath width of 1500 km on board. Some of the satellites (eg Meteor 1-8 ) contributed to additional testing instruments. The weight of the cylindrical satellite was at the start about 3.8 tons, their size was approximately 1.5 meters in diameter and 5 meters in length. They were initially placed in an initially 350, later 650 km high path with an inclination of 81.2 ° with Voskhod rockets. On board the satellite, two plasma thrusters SPT- type 50, 60 or 70 of the OKB Fakel were installed to test or position control purposes. Based on the Meteor -1 platform and the satellite Astrofisika ( Cosmos 1066, GREY index 11F653 ) was built, which also had two plasma thrusters. The 2750 kg satellite was placed in a circular orbit at 854 km altitude and 81.1 ° inclination on 23 December 1978. He specific sensors for the detection of the laser beams on the ground board. About whose purpose is not known, but there were tests of light propagation in the upper atmosphere for military laser or measuring the position control accuracy of the satellite control system suspected. Meteor 1-1 glowed in the night of 26 to 27 March 2012 in the Earth's atmosphere during re-entry.
Meteor - Priroda
From the satellite based on the Meteor -1 series only one copy was officially launched. They were developed from December 1971 to weigh about 3.8 tons. They served alongside the weather observation and the remote sensing. As a payload of the official copy two four-channel multispectral cameras came with a swath width of 1930 km and 1.5 km resolution for use. In addition, a two-channel camera with a swath width of 1380 km squares, 240 m resolution and a Vierkanalmultispektralscanner (MSR -SA ) was moderate (170 m) and a Dreikanalmultispektralscanner (MSU -VA) with CCD technology and a high resolution (30 m) installed. A four-channel radiometer and a developed in Bulgaria spectrophotometer ( 32 channels at 280 km swath width ) completed the payload. Since differed also five other Meteor satellites according to their instrumentation, might as well be reckoned as belonging to this series. This was the first meteor -1 -18 has been associated with a Vostok -2M rocket into a 950 km orbit on July 9, 1974. He was followed by meteor - 1-25, -28, -29, -30, and on July 10, 1981 Meteor -1 -31, which was also officially called Meteor - Priroda -1 and transported in a 650 km sun-synchronous 97 ° high rail. They can be viewed as a precursor of the later Resurs -O1 satellite, however, were developed on the basis of the Meteor -3 satellite bus.
Meteor -2
The Second Generation satellites had been extended to about one year life and were lighter than the first generation with a launch mass of less than three tons. On board were three cameras. Of these, two in the spectral range of 0.5 to 0.7 microns with a swath width of 2000 km and a resolution of two or one kilometer. Had the third camera in the infrared range of 8 to 12 microns wavelength a swath width of 2800 km and a resolution of eight km. In addition came gauges for electromagnetic radiation and an eight- channel infrared radiometer in the range from 11.1 to 18.7 microns, a swath width of 1000 km and a resolution of 37 m are used. The development of the satellite began in 1967 and the first launch took place on 11 July 1975. A total of up to 1995 21 satellites into an orbit with an altitude of 850 km initially started later 950 km and an inclination of 81.2 °. Data transmission to the ground was at the frequency of about 137 MHz. As a launcher initially came the Vostok -2M (up to 2-1 to 2-7, 2-9 and 2-10) later, the cyclone (2-8, from 2-11) to use .. The last satellite Meteor -2- 21 a special Fizeau reflector was installed additionally ( by Armand Fizeau ). This consisted of a 15 cm long linear array of three glass cubes, wherein the two outer die is mounted at an angle of 45 ° to the central die made of quartz glass. With this system, predictions of the theory of relativity were checked at moving objects.
Meteor -3
The development of this satellite was launched in December 1972. However, the first satellite was only on November 27, 1984 started as Cosmos 1612. However, this did not reach its intended orbit and thus could be used is limited. The first official launch took place on 24 October 1985. Satellites of the third generation of the Meteor satellites were placed in a polar orbit at about 1200 km altitude and 82.5 ° inclination. They now had a life span of two years. They were 2150 up to 2500 kg take-off mass ( of which 500 up to 700 kg working load ) again lighter than the previous generation and had a cylindrical shape with about one meter in diameter and 1.5 m in height and had two solar boom of ten meters span. The standard equipment consisted of various measuring instruments. In addition, it was possible to attach to the satellite further instruments. For example, Meteor -3-5 was a six-channel UV spectrometer names TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer), which was designed and built by NASA. It served the measurement of ozone and sulfur dioxide concentration in the atmosphere and used to an optical sensor of the reflections of the Earth's atmosphere in certain narrow spectral six in the near UV range. It had a swath width of 42 km and could be tilted by 55.5 °, so that a total coverage of a 2800 km wide swath of the Earth's surface was possible. In Meteor -3-6, the instrument came PRARE (Precise Range and Range - rate Equipment), a -working with two frequencies microwave satellite tracking system with data storage and preprocessing of the data on board the satellite. With the device, it was possible to determine the trajectory of the satellites 10 to 20 cm or exactly co-ordinates of points on the surface of the earth with an accuracy of one centimeter or more to determine. Addition came with the RRA ( Retroreflector array), a laser reflector 24 reflector and a diameter of 28 cm at Meteor 3-6 used.
The transfer of the data to the control center is made on the frequency 466.5 MHz, for transmission to local stations, the frequency is 137.85 MHz used. Overall, only six satellites of this series have been started, and at the same time also the satellite Meteor - 2 series were launched.
Meteor -3M
From this last and latest generation of the Meteor satellites so far ( as of 2008) only one copy on 10 December 2001 on a 1015 km high path with 99.7 ° inclination was started with a Zenit rocket. The start was actually already announced for 1996. The satellite is about 2.5 tons in weight, the payload could be increased to 900 kg, and has a cylindrical shape of 1.4 m diameter and 2.2 m length. The increase in the load would allow the power of the satellite to 1 kW to increase performance. In addition, the lifetime was increased to two years and improves the position accuracy. The signal transmission to Earth was converted to a frequency of 1.7 GHz. On board the satellites in addition to the Russian instruments was also the American instrument SAGE ( Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment) on board. This consisted of a grating spectrometer with a CCD sensor which worked in nine regions of the spectrum from 0.29 to 1.55 microns, and in this way the distribution of ozone, nitrogen oxides, water vapor and chlorine compounds could be measured in the Earth's atmosphere.
Meteor -M
In 2009, a new generation of Meteor weather satellite is to be transported in a 830 km sun-synchronous high rail with a Soyuz - 2-1b Fregat rocket. The standard equipment is to consist in name from following instruments: MSU - MR ( six-channel scanner in the area from 0.6 to 12.5 microns for the measurement of cloud cover with a swath width of 3000 km and a resolution of 1 km), KMSS ( three-channel scanner in the area from 0.4 to 0.9 microns at 100 km swath width and 60 to 100 m resolution), MTVZA (for temperature and humidity measurement, as well as wind speed over the ocean with 26 channels in the range of 10.6 to 183.3 GHz with a swath width of 2600 km and a resolution 12-75 miles), Severjanin ( ice monitoring using an X-band synthetic aperture radar with 450 km swath width and 500 m resolution). The initial mass of the satellite is located at 2700 kg, 1200 kg are payload. The life of five years specified.