6 Aug 2019 15:34

Defense Ministry's new satellite Kosmos-2539 added to space objects catalogue

MOSCOW. Aug 6 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry's satellite launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday has been added to the Main Catalogue of Space Objects of the Russian Space Surveillance System, the ministry's information and mass communication department said.

"Experts of the Space Surveillance Center of the Russian Aerospace Forces' Space Troops have added information about new space objects, the Briz-M booster unit and the Kosmos-2539 spacecraft, to the Main Catalogue of Space Objects of the Russian Space Surveillance System," the department said.

After putting the spacecraft, launched by the Proton-M heavy carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on August 6, into the orbit and concluding the operations to move the Briz-M booster unit to the disposal orbit, officers of the Space Surveillance Center began analyzing and processing coordinate and non-coordinate information about new space objects to be tracked by the ground aids of the Main Space Surveillance Centre of the Space Troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The Main Catalogue of Space Objects of the Russian Space Surveillance System is a common database, which contains the data about each artificial space object at altitudes of between 120,000 kilometers and 50,000 kilometers. The catalogue contains the data about 1,500 indicators of each space object, including the set of elements of orbits, which is sufficient for projecting its trajectory with required accuracy, international identification number, the data about the time and site of its launch, the type of this space object, its mission, weight and size.

Experts of the Space Troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces process over 60,000 measurements on a daily basis to maintain the Main Catalogue of Space Objects.