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                             Satellite Data Base
                               31 December 1990

Compiled by:  TS Kelso
              2340 Raider Drive
              Fairborn, OH  45324-2001                    [phone] voice
                                                          [phone] modem

(C) Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 TS Kelso.  All Rights Reserved.
    Permission granted to copy and distribute for nonprofit purposes.

     The file SAT.DBF is a dBase II data base containing information on all
orbital satellites launched since Sputnik.  While there have been many objects
placed in orbit since then, this data base is limited to payloads only.  The
data is current as of 31 December 1990.  This update was completed 26 January
1991.

     The primary source of the information contained in this data base is the
NASA Satellite Situation Report, which is a quarterly publication of the NASA
Office of Public Affairs.  While the Satellite Situation Report does contain
all catalogued space objects (either on-orbit, in deep space, or decayed), it
does not list names for all of these objects.  As a result, other references
have been used in an attempt to identify these objects.  Primary among these
are The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites 1957-1982, Jane's Spaceflight
Directories, and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space Technology.  Other
sources include magazines such as Aviation Week and Space Technology.

     Before describing the data base in detail, it should be noted that this
data base contains data only for orbital satellites, that is, satellites which
attained earth orbit.  That means that certain well known launches are not
included, in particular, the sub-orbital Mercury flights of Alan Shepard and
Gus Grissom.  No other ballistic flights or launch aborts are included,
either.

     The data base has the following structure:

          STRUCTURE FOR FILE:  C:SAT     .DBF
          NUMBER OF RECORDS:   04128
          DATE OF LAST UPDATE: 01/26/91
          PRIMARY USE DATABASE
          FLD       NAME      TYPE WIDTH   DEC
          001     INTDES       C    010
          002     NAME         C    025
          003     CATNR        N    005
          004     SOURCE       C    006
          005     LAUNCH       C    009
          006     LSITE        C    005
          007     DECAY        C    009
          008     PERIOD       N    007    001
          009     INC          N    005    001
          010     APOGEE       N    006
          011     PERIGEE      N    006
          012     CODE         C    002
          ** TOTAL **             00096

INTDES

     This is the International Designation for each orbital launch.  Prior to
1963, the International Designation was made up of two parts:  (1) the launch
of the year and (2) the piece of the launch.  The launches of each year were
designated (in order) by the letters of the Greek alphabet and the pieces of
each launch were numbered.

     This system was more than adequate in the 1950s since there were only a
handful of launches each year.  In 1961, however, the number of launches
exceeded the number of letters in the Greek alphabet, so, launches after the
24th launch of 1961 were preceded with the letter Alpha (which is abbreviated
to A in the data base, i.e., A ALPHA, A BETA, etc.).  With even more launches
in 1962, launches after the 48th were preceded with the letter Beta (i.e., B
ALPHA, B BETA, etc.).  It was becoming apparent that a new system was
required.

     In 1963 the International Designation was changed to consist of three
parts:  (1) the year of the launch, (2) the launch of that year (000 through
999), and (3) the piece of that launch (A through ZZ).  For example, pieces of
the first launch of 1974 would have the International Designation 1974 001?,
where the '?' would be replaced with a letter (or letters) designating each
piece.  STS 1 has International Designation 1981 034A, that is, it was piece
'A' of the 34th launch of 1981.

     The International Designations are useful in determining where there are
holes in the data base.  For example, if there was a launch 1968 066, there
must also have been a launch 1968 065.  While the NASA Satellite Situation
Report designates 1968 066A as Explorer 39 and 1968 066B as Explorer 40, there
is no payload name associated with launch 1968 065.  Usually this results when
the payload was a military payload, although sometimes it is simply the result
of neglect.  Careful research of books and magazines on space have identified
some of these payloads but many others are still unidentified.  The author
continues to try to identify these objects.


NAME

     This field contains the common name of a particular payload.  If the name
is listed as 'UNIDENTIFIED', it is because no payload or payloads have been
identified with that launch.  Sometimes it is possible not to know the payload
name but to know which piece of that launch was the payload.  This situation
arises primarily when there was only one piece catalogued for a particular
launch, although, The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites 1957-1982 and Jane's
Spaceflight Directories have been extremely helpful in this regard.  When the
type of payload is known, but not the name, the identification is enclosed in
brackets.


CATNR

     This is the Catalog Number assigned to each space object.  These numbers
are assigned by the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).  It is NORAD's
responsibility to track all objects on-orbit and determine their orbits.
These numbers are assigned when the object is first catalogued.  As of the
31 December 1990 Satellite Situation Report there are currently over 21,000
objects catalogued by NORAD (21,046 to be exact) with 6,748 of these objects
still on-orbit.


SOURCE

     This is the source of the payload.  Usually, the source of the payload is
the same as the source of the launch, but not always.  For instance, the US
launches payloads for many other countries and organizations (e.g., NATO or
ESA).  The following is a list of source codes (as used in this data base) and
their meanings:

     ARGENT        Argentina
     AUSTRL        Australia
     BRAZIL        Brazil
     CANADA        Canada
     CZECH         Czechoslovakia
     ESA           European Space Agency
     ESRO          European Space Research Organization
     FRANCE        France
     FR/FRG        France/Federal Republic of Germany
     FRG           Federal Republic of Germany
     INDIA         India
     INDNSA        Indonesia
     ISRAEL        Israel
     ITSO          International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
     ITALY         Italy
     JAPAN         Japan
     LUXEMB        Luxemburg
     MEXICO        Mexico
     NATO          North Atlantic Treaty Organization
     NETH          Netherlands
     PAKIST        Pakistan
     PRC           People's Republic of China
     SAUDI         Saudi Arabia
     SPAIN         Spain
     SWEDEN        Sweden
     UK            United Kingdom
     US            United States of America
     USSR          Union of Soviet Socialist Republics


LAUNCH

     The date that the object was launched or deployed.  Prior to the advent
of the US Space Shuttle, this was the date that the object(s) lifted off the
launch pad.  However, launch dates for objects deployed from the Space Shuttle
are considered to be the date that they were deployed, not the date that the
Space Shuttle was launched.  All dates are Zulu dates.


LSITE

     This refers to the launch site from which the object was launched.  As of
this release, there are currently 15 launch sites around the world.  The codes
and their meanings are:

     AFETR         Air Force Eastern Test Range, Florida, USA
     AFWTR         Air Force Western Test Range, California, USA
     CHINA         Chinese Launch Complex, PRC
     FRGUI         French Guiana
     HGSTR         Hammaguira Space Track Range
     KSCUT         Kagoshima Space Center - University of Tokyo, Japan
     KYMSC         Kapustin Yar Missile and Space Complex, USSR
     PLMSC         Plesetsk Missile and Space Complex, USSR
     SCMTR         Shangchengtze Missile Test Range, PRC
     SRILR         Sriharikota Launching Range, India
     SNMLP         San Marco Launch Platform, Indian Ocean (Kenya)
     TANSC         Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
     TYMSC         Tyuratam Missile and Space Center, USSR
     WLPIS         Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
     WOMRA         Woomera, Australia
     WUZLF         Wuzhai Launch Facility, PRC
     XICLF         Xi Chang Launch Facility, PRC
     YAVNE         Yavne Launch Facility, Israel


DECAY

     This is the decay status for the object.  If the object has already
decayed, the date of the decay is listed.  In some cases, a specific date is
not given because the actual date was not known precisely.  In these cases,
usually just the month and year are given.

     If the object has not decayed, the status of the satellite orbit is
given.  The Decay Status Codes are listed below:

            EARTH ORB             Earth Orbit (Geocentric)
            SOLAR ORB             Solar Orbit (Heliocentric)
            LUNAR ORB             Lunar Orbit (Selenocentric)
            MARS ORBT             Mars Orbit (Areocentric)
            VENUS ORB             Venus Orbit
            BARYCNTRC             Barycentric Orbit
            SS ESCAPE or SSET     Solar System Escape Trajectory
            CENM                  Current Elements Not Maintained
            ELNA                  Elements Not Available

In the future, orbiters around Jupiter will require additional codes.

     The remaining fields contain basic information describing the orbit of
payloads in earth orbit.  For payloads which have already decayed, these
fields contain values representative of that object's orbit at some time prior
to its decay.  For on-orbit objects whose elements are not available or not
maintained, values from earlier epochs are provided, if available.  It should
be noted, however, that these values may not be truly representative of that
object's current orbit.  These fields are described below.


PERIOD

     The orbital period of the satellite in mean solar minutes.


INC

     The orbital inclination of the satellite in degrees.


APOGEE

     The satellite altitude (distance above the earth's surface) at apogee in
kilometers.


PERIGEE

     The satellite altitude at perigee in kilometers.


CODE

     Finally, the last field is provided to assign special codes to payloads
to aid in their categorization.  Currently, three codes are in use:  M, D, L,
and O.  M preceded by a number indicates that the payload was manned, with the
number being the size of the crew.  If M is preceded by a ?, the size of the
crew was not known, probably because it was a secret military mission.

     L and D are used to indicate that a conflict exists between the available
sources of information as to the Launch or Decay date of the payload.  O is
used to indicate a conflict on orbit type.  Other codes may be used in the
future to designate the primary function of a payload (e.g., surveillance,
weather, earth resources, communications, scientific, etc.).


Sleuthing

     To present an idea of how to go about identifying space objects which are
unidentified in the Satellite Situation Report, I will present a few examples.
These should give a flavor for the various ways of identifying these space
objects and may even get you hooked on the chase!

NOTE:  These examples were included in the first release of this data base.
       While subsequent use of The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites 1957-1982
       and Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1987 have confirmed these deductions,
       these examples remain illustrative of the approach to be used.

     (1)  In 1963, the launch designated B NU has no identified payload.
          While we can infer that there was indeed a launch and that there
          were three pieces associated with that launch (B NU 1, B NU 2, and
          B NU 3), we have no way of knowing which object was the payload or
          what the payload was.

          Now, normally the payload is the first object identified with the
          launch, but this can be a misleading assumption without further
          evidence.  In this case, pieces 1 and 2 have decayed and piece 3 is
          in a heliocentric orbit.  This could suggest that piece 3 is the
          payload.  So far, we have conflicting information.

          But let's examine the information more closely.  This launch was a
          Soviet launch occurring on 1 November 1962 and was the only Soviet
          launch in the period 25 October - 3 November.  The Illustrated
          Encyclopedia of Space Technology, on page 150, shows that on this
          date the Soviets launched the Mars 1 spacecraft.  Due to equipment
          failure it missed Mars and would have gone into a heliocentric
          orbit.  Hence, B NU 3 is Mars 1!

     (2)  The first launch of 1963 (1963 001) was also a Soviet launch,
          occurring on 4 January 1963.  It is not identified in the Satellite
          Situation Report.  Reference to The Illustrated Encyclopedia of
          Space Technology shows that the Soviets conducted an unannounced
          Luna-series lunar soft-landing attempt which only achieved earth
          orbit.  All three catalogued pieces decayed shortly thereafter.
          Without additional information, there is no way of specifying which
          piece was the payload and we can only say that it decayed in January
          1963.  [Use of The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites 1957-1982
          indicates that 1963 001A is believed to be Sputnik 25.]

     (3)  While reading through The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space
          Technology in the Chapter entitled "Military Space Systems", we find
          the following reference on page 82:

               Ironically, the most mysterious satellite is not a
               reconnaissance craft but a military Comsat -- the
               Satellite Data System.  Launched into a highly
               elliptical orbit similar to that used by the Russian
               Molniya Comsats, it is used to communicate with US
               nuclear forces in the polar regions.  No photos of
               this satellite have been released and disclosure of
               orbital elements is delayed.  The first was launched
               in August 1973.

          Examining the launches for August 1973 reveals that there were only
          two US launches that entire month (other than the one supporting
          Intelsat 4 F-7) and that one of them was a Defense Meteorological
          Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite.  Therefore, the remaining
          launch, on 21 August, must have been the first Satellite Data System
          launch (SDS 1).  And true to the reference, the current elements are
          not maintained.  [The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites 1957-1982,
          however, shows this to be the second SDS launch.  Yet Jane's
          Spaceflight Directory 1986 seems to suggest that this payload is not
          SDS 1 or 2, illustrating the difficulty of determining the identity
          of military payloads.]

     Many of the previously unidentified objects were eliminated in just such
a fashion.  Unfortunately, there are still many more (250+ objects) left to be
identified.  But the search will continue!


Final Comments

     While this data base is a fairly comprehensive source of data on orbital
satellites, it still has ways to go to be really complete.  Many satellites
remain to be identified and there are bound to be a few errors that slipped by
the very thorough checking and cross-checking.  If any errors are found,
please notify me either by mail at the address listed at the beginning of this
document or leave a message on the Celestial BBS, [phone].

     I will continue to attempt to identify all the satellites and update the
data base semi-annually with the release of the Satellite Situation Report.
Any information regarding the identity of the remaining unidentified objects
will be welcome.  Please send information, including reference(s), to me by
mail or leave me a message on the Celestial BBS.

                                       - TS Kelso


                                  References

 1.  Aviation Week and Space Technology.

 2.  The Complete Encyclopedia of Space Satellites, Giovanni Caprara, New
     York:  Portland House, 1986.

 3.  Deep Black:  Space Espionage and National Security, William E. Burrows,
     New York:  Random House, 1986.

 4.  The Encyclopedia of US Spacecraft, Bill Yenne, New York:  Exeter Books,
     1985.

 5.  The Encyclopedia of Soviet Spacecraft, Douglas Hart, New York:  Exeter
     Books, 1987.

 6.  Guardians:  Strategic Reconnaissance Satellites, Curtis Peebles, Novato,
     CA:  Presidio Press, 1987.

 7.  The History of Manned Spaceflight, David Baker, New York:  Crown
     Publishers, Inc., 1981.

 8.  The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space Technology, Kenneth Gatland, New
     York:  Harmony Books, 1981.

 9.  Jane's Spaceflight Directory, Reginald Turnill (Editor), London:  Jane's
     Publishing Company Limited, 1984.

10.  Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1986, Reginald Turnill (Editor), London:
     Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1986.

11.  Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1987, Reginald Turnill (Editor), London:
     Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1987.

12.  Jane's Spaceflight Directory 1988-89, Reginald Turnill (Editor), London:
     Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1988.

13.  The Pictorial History of World Spacecraft, Bill Yenne, New York:  Exeter
     Books, 1988.

14.  The R.A.E. Table of Earth Satellites:  1957-1982, D.G. King-Hele, et al.,
     New York:  John Wiley & Sons, 1983 (Second Edition).

15.  Satellite Situation Report, NASA, Project Operations Branch, Code 513,
     Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.

16.  The Soviet Manned Space Program:  An Illustrated History of the Men, the
     Missions, and the Spacecraft, Phillip Clark, New York:  Orion Books,
     1988.