Gaofen-1, CZ-2D, JSLC - April 26, 2013

• #100 by input~2 on 16 May, 2013 15:45
• Quote from: input~2 on 15 May, 2013 15:54

  First live view of Earth from Pegaso expected to-morrow May 16 at 1541UTC on http://www.earthcam.com/world/ecuador/ecsa
  (source)
  

  Apparently nothing yet...
• #101 by input~2 on 16 May, 2013 16:16
• First image now

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• #102 by input~2 on 16 May, 2013 16:38
• now the live feed is better

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• #103 by Satori on 23 May, 2013 17:03
• Looks like the small Pegaso may have been hit by orbital debris.
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22635671
  
  http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ecuador_warns_satellite_could_hit_rocket_remains_999.html
  
  https://twitter.com/Ronnie_Nader
• #104 by Satori on 24 May, 2013 00:13
• According to Ronnie Nader, Pegaso has lost its attitude after the impact but its still transmitting. They are trying to get the signals from the satellite. Its orbital inclination was also affected.
  
  There are news that CubeBug-1 was also hit by the debris; there are reports of a fast spinning and orbital inclination change too.
• #105 by Liss on 24 May, 2013 08:46
• EXA statement (in Spanish) at: http://www.exa.ec/bp52/
  
  My humble comment: I was not able to see any significant changes in orbits of any of the three nanosatellites from this launch.
• #106 by jcm on 25 May, 2013 08:28
• Quote from: Liss on 24 May, 2013 08:46

  EXA statement (in Spanish) at: http://www.exa.ec/bp52/
  
  My humble comment: I was not able to see any significant changes in orbits of any of the three nanosatellites from this launch.
  

  
  I'm surprised not to see more discussion of this. Is it really true that old satellites travel surrounded by a cloud of uncataloged debris sufficient to take out cubesats? That must imply current debris generation (or the debris would have moved away due to differential drag).  And would presumably have been seen in post-flight inspection of Shuttle. Or is this object 15890 special somehow - I don't think so. Something very strange about this report.
• #107 by gwiz on 25 May, 2013 09:46
• Quote from: jcm on 25 May, 2013 08:28

  Something very strange about this report.
  

  They had warning of a close encounter, so maybe its not the result of an impact but of them sending some over-hasty commands that screwed things up.
• #108 by Liss on 25 May, 2013 11:52
• Quote from: gwiz on 25 May, 2013 09:46

  Quote from: jcm on 25 May, 2013 08:28

  Something very strange about this report.
  

  They had warning of a close encounter, so maybe its not the result of an impact but of them sending some over-hasty commands that screwed things up.
  

  Fortunately not true. According to Ronnie Nader, the commands were to put Pegaso into safe mode.
  So what we really know and what is confirmed.
  1. Pegaso survived the event -- it is transmitting.
  2. Pegaso is tumbling -- this is visible in the received signal patterns. Rates of tumbling aren't known as of this morning, hence the time needed to stop rotation can't be predicted. Also, I don't believe any commands could put it into tumbling.
  3. Several versions of what's happened are on the table. Side contact with the stage as in the case of CERISE; hit of a paint chip or a fuel droplet related to the stage; wild coincedence -- a collision with some other debris or even with a meteoritic particle of Eta Acuaridae flow.
  
• #109 by Galactic Penguin SST on 06 Jun, 2013 05:45
• In other news, photos from Gaofen-1 have been released to the public today for the very first time: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n1081/n7529/n308608/547763.html

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• #110 by input~2 on 30 Dec, 2013 13:30
• Gaofen-1 was put into operation to-day
  (source)
  
• #111 by Galactic Penguin SST on 12 Mar, 2014 22:21
• Might be worth a mention that GF-1 is the satellite that took the latest photos that might turn out be the debris from the downed MH 777:

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