Meteor-3M No.1

Meteor-3M No.1 is the first and so far only of the Meteor-3M series polar-orbit weather satellites. It was launched on 10 December 2001 at 17:18:57 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.[3] The satellite is in a sun-synchronous orbit with an ascending node time of about 9AM.

Meteor-3M No.1[1]
Mission typeWeather
OperatorRoscosmos/Roshydromet
COSPAR ID2001-056A
SATCAT no.27001
Mission durationPlanned: 3 years
Actual: ~5 years
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerVNIIEM
Launch mass2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb)
Payload mass800 kilograms (1,800 lb)
Power800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date10 December 2001, 17:18:57 (2001-12-10UTC17:18:57Z) UTC
RocketZenit-2
Launch siteBaikonur 45/1
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSSO
Eccentricity0.00135[2]
Perigee altitude1,016 kilometres (631 mi)
Apogee altitude996 kilometres (619 mi)
Inclination99.64 degrees[2]
Period105.3 minutes[2]
 

Capabilities

An APT transmission was planned to only have a reduced resolution (2 km) visible channel data. The status of any APT capability on this satellite is unclear, but it is thought not to have an APT transmitter. No APT transmissions have been received from this satellite. SLR mission support began on 1 May 2002.

Meteor-3M satellite atop its Zenit-2 launcher

Secondary mission objective is the flight testing of the novel-type spherical retroreflector for precise laser ranging.

ILRS Mission Support Status

SLR will be used for precise orbit determination and retroreflector research.

Instrumentation
  • SAGE III
  • Spherical retroreflector
  • Other weather monitoring instruments

Retro-reflector Array (RRA) characteristics

The retro-reflector is a glass ball 60 mm in diameter, fastened in a holder providing observation from Earth at elevations more than 30° (the retroreflector field of view is centered in the Nadir direction). The spherical retro-reflector with it holder is fixed to the Meteor-3M No.1 spacecraft. The expected return signal strength level is between LAGEOS and ETALON.

SAGE III

Meteor-3M No.1 includes the SAGE III (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment) payload and other instruments designed to measure temperature and humidity profiles, clouds, surface properties, and high energy particles in the upper atmosphere. SAGE III is a gyrating spectrometer that measures ultraviolet/visible energy that will be used to enhance our understanding of natural and human-derived atmospheric processes by providing accurate long-term measurements of the vertical structure of aerosols, ozone, water vapor, and other important trace gases in the upper troposphere and stratosphere.

See also

References
  1. "Научный Центр Оперативного Мониторинга Земли". www.ntsomz.ru. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  2. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  3. "Meteor satellite". www.russianspaceweb.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
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