Zarya

Detailed Tweets are no longer sent from this account.

You are encouraged to switch to following @OrbitalFocus for detail that may not be able elsewhere.

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

This Twitter Feed is no longer active.

For those genuinely interested in some of the finer detail of events in orbit, you might care to check out the replacement - @OrbitalFocus

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow our new Twitter account @OrbitalFocus for more Tweets like this

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Mission Update

Chinese Space Station

Another small upwards nudge prior to Mengtian Launch - expected Oct 31, ~07:37 UTC

#China #space #CSS #Mengtian #launch #Wenchang #CZ5 #satellite #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow our new Twitter account @OrbitalFocus for more Tweets like this

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Taiyuan Test Flight
Sep 15, ~08:00 UTC

NOTAM runs 07:49 - 08:22 UTC

Flight 12-15 minutes duration, rocket launched to unknown altitude before conducting manoeuvres and setting down somewhere within the large zone

Seems insufficient time for it to fly back along the corridor

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

You are recommended to switch to our new Twitter feed @OrbitalFocus

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

China reusable spacecraft
https://t.co/RpUCh030th

Still no significant manouevres

Next landing opportunity Aug 27 - lighting conditions and ground track will match 2020 mission

In current orbit, landing opportunities occur every 12 days, lighting conditions recur every 60 days

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Switch to our new Twitter feed @OrbitalFocus to see more like this

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Ceres 1 Launch
Aug 9, 04:11 UTC

Two most-recent Ceres launches coincided with NOTAMs from Chennai FIR that did not fit the ground track

BUT… setting the NOTAM latitudes to SOUTH rather than north creates an area that does fit the track!

Major cock-up by CAAC?

@CNSpaceflight

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

For more on this and other items, switch to our new account @OrbitalFocus

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

China Launch
Aug 4, 16:00 UTC (60-90 min window)
CZ-??
Jiuquan

This is what the mission may look like, assuming it's a launch to LEO

Yuan Wang 6 has been 'loitering' near the position shown for nearly 48 hrs - from there it will have comms opportunities on both rev 0 and rev 1

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Switch to @OrbitalFocus to keep receiving Tweets like this

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Wentian CZ 5B upper stage re-entry

Forecast is down to +/-31 min, with a little over one hour to opening of the window

@SpaceTrackOrg has moved to the East Indies but it could occur anywhere along the line with lower probability towards the ends

Lots of ocean…

#CZ5B

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Switch to @OrbitalFocus to keep receiving these:

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Wentian CZ 5B upper stage re-entry, down to ~140 km

Updated Plot

#CZ5B

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Switch to @orbitalfocus if you want to keep seeing this sort of info

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

(Yaogan 35-03)? Launch
Jul 29, ~03:26 UTC
CZ 2D
Xichang SC

Stage 1 will follow ground track for 31° inclination

Stage 2 will execute right turn to establish 35° incl

Yuan Wang 5 on station near 8° north, 130° east to monitor sat separation

#China #satellite #launch #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow @OrbitalFocus for more like this…

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Russia Launch??
Aug 2, ~08:00 UTC
Soyuz-2 1x? + Fregat?
Plesetsk SC

More detail available for Russia's Aug 2 - Aug 6 nav warning

Shows it does NOT fit anything returning from ISS

It is consistent with Plesetsk launch to 65°-66° inclination

Anyone able to tell me what it is?

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

This if from our new Twitter address, please switch to following it…

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

China Launch
Jul 27, ~04:07 UTC
(ZK 1A)?
Jiuquan SC

Aimed at LTDN ~10:20, several satellites already in this slot
https://t.co/zaHL5nnCEq

#china #satellite #launch #Jiuquan #orbit #ZK1A #orbit #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow @OrbitalFocus for more detailed info

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Tianzhou 3

Minor orbit adjustment means that it is nearly matched to CSS and at a fixed 730 km behind

It will definitely get the chance to 'see' Wentian as it passes by on approach to the station

#China #Tianhe #Wentian #Tiangong #Tianzhou3 #space #orbit #CZ5B #LongMarch #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow @OrbitalFocus for future updates

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Tianzhou 3

Since undocking Jul 17, it has been drifting slowly away and as of today at 03:00 UTC it was ~740 km behind the CSS

Wentian will pass close to it on its approach to docking with CSS

#China #Tianhe #Wentian #Tiangong #Tianzhou3 #space #orbit #CZ5B #LongMarch #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow @orbitalfocus, our new home

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Wentian Launch
Jul 24, 06:22:32 UTC
CZ 5B
Wenchang SC

Successfully reached orbit, story so far
https://t.co/cujkwcDNM8

#China #Tianhe #Wentian #space #orbit #launch #CZ5B #LongMarch #news

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Follow @OrbitalFocus to see more like this…

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Wentian Launch
Jul 24, ~06:20 UTC
CZ 5B
Wenchang SC

Notes and explanation of the ground track map available:
https://t.co/7FQIjbZRT8

#China #Tianhe #Wentian #space #orbit #launch #CZ5B #LongMarch #news

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Chinese Space Station

Thrusters of Tianzhou 4 have been used to adjust the orbit of the station in preparation for launch of Wentian on Jul 24, a further small adjustment later today is possible
https://t.co/Zjnc6Gw6Cd

#China #space #launch #Tianhe #Wentian #LongMarch #news

[Orbital Focus @OrbitalFocus]

Yuan Wang 5 tracking ship arrived on-station to support Wentian launch, expected Jul 24

YW 3 - in transit from Tianlian 2-03 support location to home port, arriving Jul 23

YW 6 - home port

YW 7 - home port

#China #Chinese #space #CSS #Wentian #Tianhe #launch #orbit #news #CZ5

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

New Chinese launch today, get the detail by following zarya's new account:
@OrbitalFocus

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

LARES 2, 53105/2022-080A

Intention to de-orbit the Vega-C upper stage may have been cancelled late in the launch planning

Follow our new Twitter feed @OrbitalFocus for updates

#LARES2 #VegaC #ESA #Arianespace #Italy #satellite #orbit #news #space

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Another example of the child-like nature of the people who run @NASA on the web

It would be mildly amusing were it not for the fact that contacting the "NASA Official" @DunbarNASA about a missing page NEVER gets a response and NEVER results in the error getting fixed

[Zarya @Zarya_Info]

Successful Chinese launch today

Follow our new Twitter account @OrbitalFocus for mission and orbit details