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| | | | | | | | | Artist's impression of Cluster | |
The Cluster Quartet
24 August 2000
The 4 cluster satellites have succesfully been released
The second pair of Cluster satellites are now safely in separation orbit around the Earth after today’s successful launch
from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
At 13.13 CEST, (17.13 Baikonur Time - 13.13 CEST) ) a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle provided by the French-Russian
Starsem consortium lifted off with Cluster satellites FM 5 (Rumba) and FM 8 (Tango).
Approximately 75 minutes into the mission, the Fregat transfer module fired for a second time to insert the spacecraft
into a 250 km x 18,000 km separation orbit. About 20 minutes later, the ground station in Kiruna, Sweden, confirmed
that the satellites had successfully separated from the Fregat and were now flying in good health.
“This second perfect launch within less than four weeks means that Cluster is on track for a highly successful mission,”
said Professor Roger-Maurice Bonnet, ESA science director. “We are now looking forward to receiving the unique
three-dimensional data that will give new understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth.”
Over the next week, Rumba and Tango will participate in a complex series of orbital manoeuvres in order to rendezvous
with the other spacecraft in the Cluster flotilla (Salsa and Samba).
The quartet will then undergo three months of instrument and system commissioning before beginning their two-year
scientific mission.
For regular status reports on the mission dial +49.6151.90.2609 at ESA/ESOC.
The article continues......
The second pair of Cluster satellites are now safely in separation orbit around the Earth after today’s successful launch
from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
At 13.13 CEST, (17.13 Baikonur Time - 13.13 CEST) ) a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle provided by the French-Russian
Starsem consortium lifted off with Cluster satellites FM 5 (Rumba) and FM 8 (Tango).
Approximately 75 minutes into the mission, the Fregat transfer module fired for a second time to insert the spacecraft
into a 250 km x 18,000 km separation orbit. About 20 minutes later, the ground station in Kiruna, Sweden, confirmed
that the satellites had successfully separated from the Fregat and were now flying in good health.
“This second perfect launch within less than four weeks means that Cluster is on track for a highly successful mission,”
said Professor Roger-Maurice Bonnet, ESA science director. “We are now looking forward to receiving the unique
three-dimensional data that will give new understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth.”
Over the next week, Rumba and Tango will participate in a complex series of orbital manoeuvres in order to rendezvous
with the other spacecraft in the Cluster flotilla (Salsa and Samba).
The quartet will then undergo three months of instrument and system commissioning before beginning their two-year
scientific mission.
For regular status reports on the mission dial +49.6151.90.2609 at ESA/ESOC.
Again........
The second pair of Cluster satellites are now safely in separation orbit around the Earth after today’s successful launch
from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
At 13.13 CEST, (17.13 Baikonur Time - 13.13 CEST) ) a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle provided by the French-Russian
Starsem consortium lifted off with Cluster satellites FM 5 (Rumba) and FM 8 (Tango).
Approximately 75 minutes into the mission, the Fregat transfer module fired for a second time to insert the spacecraft
into a 250 km x 18,000 km separation orbit. About 20 minutes later, the ground station in Kiruna, Sweden, confirmed
that the satellites had successfully separated from the Fregat and were now flying in good health.
“This second perfect launch within less than four weeks means that Cluster is on track for a highly successful mission,”
said Professor Roger-Maurice Bonnet, ESA science director. “We are now looking forward to receiving the unique
three-dimensional data that will give new understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth.”
Over the next week, Rumba and Tango will participate in a complex series of orbital manoeuvres in order to rendezvous
with the other spacecraft in the Cluster flotilla (Salsa and Samba).
The quartet will then undergo three months of instrument and system commissioning before beginning their two-year
scientific mission.
For regular status reports on the mission dial +49.6151.90.2609 at ESA/ESOC.
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