Author Topic: LIVE: Rokot/Briz-KM - Sentinel-3B - Plesetsk - April 25, 2018 (Read 31083 times)

bolun · « **on:** 02/06/2018 05:14 pm »

http://www.eurockot.com/missions/manifest/

Quote

Sentinel-3B

The launch of Sentinel-3B is planned for Q1 2018.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3/Sentinel-3B_good_to_go

Quote

After being put through its paces to make sure it is fit for life in orbit around Earth, the Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite is ready to be packed up and shipped to Russia for liftoff.

Quote

With liftoff expected to be confirmed for the end of April, the satellite will start its journey to Russia in March.

Image credit: ESA–S. Corvaja

bolun · « **Reply #1 on:** 02/06/2018 05:22 pm »

ESA - Sentinel-3 updates

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=23008.0

Data sheet of the mission:

http://www.eurockot.com/press-media/downloads/

Rik ISS-fan · « **Reply #2 on:** 02/06/2018 06:05 pm »

I've nothing to add. speaks for itself.
And for the once that hate youtube. ESA video

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #3 on:** 02/18/2018 07:29 pm »

Cross-post from Plan of Russian Space Launches (part 2) thread:

Quote from: Salo on 02/18/2018 07:12 pm

https://twitter.com/AschbacherJosef/status/964751388973641729
Quote
Josef Aschbacher‏ @AschbacherJosef
Sentinel-3B launch 🚀 planned 25 April. This will be the seventh Sentinel launch in 4 years. We currently produce 14 TB data volume per day ! Very few realise the magnitude and success of Copernicus. Compliments to all involved ! @CopernicusEU @ESA_EO

bolun · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/15/2018 08:10 pm »

SENTINEL-3B: ADVANCE TEAM GETS READY TO RECEIVE

http://blogs.esa.int/eolaunches/2018/03/13/sentinel-3b-advanced-team-gets-ready-to-receive/

SENTINEL-3B: OFF TO MEET OUR SATELLITE

http://blogs.esa.int/eolaunches/2018/03/14/sentinel-3b-off-to-meet-our-satellite/

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/20/2018 10:05 am »

https://www.roscosmos.ru/24837/

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/21/2018 09:44 am »

Sentinel 3B arriving in Plesetsk

https://twitter.com/DutchSpace/status/976384449440112640

bolun · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/22/2018 09:02 pm »

03/17/2018

Sentinel-3B Launch Campaign Started

After some delay caused by the weather conditions (snowfall and temperature drop from minus 2 to minus 15 - 21 degrees) here in Archangelsk the Antonov aircraft with the Sentinel-3B spacecraft and associated equipment on board finally arrived well and the containers were unloaded from the Antonov aircraft, brought to the train station and loaded on the rail cars until late at night.

Today on March 17th the loading was finished and the dedicated train to Plesetsk is planned to depart from Archangelsk late in the evening.

Sentinel-3B is part of the Copernicus multiple satellite system funded jointly by the European Space Agency and the European Commission. Copernicus supports European policies to improve management of the environment and help mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/03/sentinel-3b-launch-campaign-started/

bolun · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/22/2018 09:09 pm »

http://blogs.esa.int/eolaunches/2018/03/20/preparing-to-unveil-sentinel-3b/

Quote

The Sentinel-3B shipment has now arrived safely at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and the team has been busy getting everything into the facilities.

Credits: ESA

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/23/2018 02:26 pm »

Quote

SENTINEL-3B LAUNCH PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING
23 March 2018

With the Sentinel-3B satellite now at the Plesetsk launch site in Russia and liftoff set for 25 April, engineers are steaming ahead with the task of getting Europe’s next Copernicus satellite ready for its journey into orbit.

After arriving at the launch site on 18 March, the satellite has been taken out of its transport container and is being set up for testing.

Kristof Gantois, ESA’s Sentinel-3 engineering manager, said, “The satellite’s journey from France was hampered slightly by the freezing winter weather here in Russia, but it’s now safe in the milder cleanroom environment.

“With the aid of a crane, our baby has been removed from its transport container. We have also been very busy unpacking the array of equipment we need to test the satellite and make it ready to join its Rockot launcher.”

Sentinel-3B will join its twin, Sentinel-3A, in orbit. The pairing of identical satellites provides the best coverage and data delivery for Europe’s Copernicus programme – the largest environmental monitoring programme in the world.

The satellites carry the same suite of cutting-edge instruments to measure oceans, land, ice and atmosphere.

Feeding a new generation of data products, the Sentinel-3 mission is at the heart of operational oceanography.

For example, it provides measurements to monitor aquatic biological productivity and marine pollution, to map sea-level change and to forecast the sea state for efficient and safe ship routeing.

As well as measuring the oceans, the mission also delivers unique and timely information about changing land cover, vegetation, urban heat islands, and for tracking wildfires.

The Sentinel-3B will be lofted into orbit on a Rockot launcher on 25 April at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST).

http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3/Sentinel-3B_launch_preparations_in_full_swing

bolun · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/23/2018 07:01 pm »

http://blogs.esa.int/eolaunches/2018/03/23/sentinel-3b-on-the-dolly/

Quote

Following its arrival at the Plesetsk launch site, the Sentinel-3B satellite has been taken out of its transport container and placed on its ‘tilting dolly’. This dolly holds the satellite in various positions, allowing the engineers to access different parts of the craft.

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/27/2018 02:33 am »

SFN Launch Schedule, updated March 26:
April 25, 1757 UTC

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/28/2018 09:49 am »

Couple more photos released by ESA.

bolun · « **Reply #13 on:** 03/31/2018 05:40 pm »

03/30/2018

Rockot Upper Stage Breeze-KM with Payload Fairing Ready for Fit-Check

While the spacecraft team is continuing the functional checks on the satellite, the operations related to the mechanical integration of the launch vehicle are undergoing a dry-run.

For this purpose the two payload halves were mounted on top of the upper stage. Subsequently protected with a plastic cover this composite is now waiting for its transfer into the adjacent General Hall. After electrical checks it will prepared for transport by train to the launch pad. At the launch pad it will be lifted on top of the booster unit which is in vertical position already installed into the launch tower.

After successful completion of the dry-run this composite goes back to the MIK integration hall in order to 'pick-up' the satellite. But until then there are still a lot of launch preparation activities on both launcher and spacecraft side to be accomplished including propellant loading.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/03/rockot-upper-stage-breeze-km-with-payload-fairing-ready-for-fit-check/

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #14 on:** 04/06/2018 06:43 am »

More ESA photos

bolun · « **Reply #15 on:** 04/08/2018 07:33 pm »

04/08/2018

Sentinel-3B Spacecraft and Rockot Launch Vehicle are nearly ready for Fueling

After a busy week today is a day off for the launch campaign teams. The spacecraft team celebrated the completion of all stand-alone functional tests. The results are all nominal and according to schedule.

The preparation of spacecraft fueling will continue next week. Fueling shall take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

In parallel the dry-run for the integration of the complete launch vehicle was successfully performed at the launch pad. Meanwhile the Upper Stage Breeze-KM is ready for the transfer to its fueling station which is planned for Tuesday.

Also, the transfer of electrical ground support equipment to the launch pad is being prepared. During the first visit to the launch pad the communication lines to the integration facility MIK were checked and sensors for monitoring temperature and humidity were installed.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/04/sentinel-3b-spacecraft-and-rockot-launch-vehicle-are-nearly-ready-for-fueling/

Credits: ESA

bolun · « **Reply #16 on:** 04/17/2018 11:32 am »

http://blogs.esa.int/eolaunches/2018/04/13/sentinel-3-fully-tanked/

SENTINEL-3 FULLY TANKED

Credits: Thales Alenia Space

bolun · « **Reply #17 on:** 04/17/2018 11:38 am »

04/14/2018

Sentinel-3B Successfully Hoisted on the Launch Vehicle Adapter System

This morning the Sentinel-3B satellite was successfully hoisted on the launch vehicle adapter system.

After a careful lowering down on the adapter the clampband which connects the spacecraft interface ring and launch vehicle adapter was mated and the satellite is now ready for the next step, the final spacecraft inspection before moving in 101B cleanroom and hoisting on top the fuelled upper stage Breeze-KM.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/04/sentinel-3b-successfully-hoisted-on-the-launch-vehicle-adapter-system/

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #18 on:** 04/19/2018 12:08 am »

Some ESA encapsulation photos

jacqmans · « **Reply #19 on:** 04/19/2018 08:22 am »

Press Release

N°06-2018

Paris, 18 April 2018

Call for Media: Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite launch event

Completing the constellation of the first set of Sentinel missions, the launch of Sentinel-3B marks an important milestone for Europe’s Copernicus programme led by the European Commission. With the satellite scheduled to liftoff from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome on 25 April at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST), media representatives are invited to follow this landmark event at the ILA Berlin Air Show or at ESA’s Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

Sentinel-3B is the seventh Sentinel satellite to be launched for Copernicus. Each mission carries state-of-the-art technology to deliver the stream of complementary imagery and data that are central to this unique environmental monitoring programme.

In orbit it will join its identical twin, Sentinel-3A, which was launched in 2016. This pairing of satellites provides the best coverage and data delivery for Copernicus. The two Sentinel-1 radar satellites and two Sentinel-2 optical satellites operate in a similar way. Sentinel-5P is unique in the Copernicus constellation in that it is a single-satellite mission, but its extremely wide swath covers Earth every 24 hours.

Carrying a suite of cutting-edge instruments, Sentinel-3 is arguably the most complex of all the Sentinel missions – offering a bigger picture for Copernicus.

With a focus on our oceans, Sentinel-3 measures the temperature, colour and height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice. These measurements are used, for example, to monitor changes in sea level, marine pollution and biological productivity. Over land, this innovative mission provides information to monitor wildfires, map the way land is used, observe vegetation state and measure the height of rivers and lakes – complementing the high-resolution measurements of its Sentinel-2 sister mission.

The mission is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, EUMETSAT, France’s CNES space agency, industry, service providers and data users. The satellites were designed and built by a consortium of around 100 companies under the leadership of Thales Alenia Space, France.

ESA TV will broadcast the launch live on ESA’s web site, together with expert commentary.

Broadcasters can find more information on this, as well as more material on http://www.esa.int/esatv/Television

For the latest news and information on this mission, visit www.esa.int/Sentinel-3

The Twitter hashtag to follow is #Sentinel3

The launch event at the Space Pavilion, ILA Berlin Air Show

Since Sentinel-3B is scheduled to liftoff on 25 April – in the same week as ILA, so this huge air show offers the ideal opportunity for media representatives to take advantage of both events. The launch event is being hosted by ESA, the EC and EUMETSAT. Doors open at 18:15 CEST, liftoff is scheduled for 19:57 CEST.

Addresses by ESA’s Director General, the chair of DLR’s executive board and high-level representatives from the European Commission and EUMETSAT will start the event. Experts will provide an overview on the socio-economic impact of Copernicus and the concrete use of Sentinel-3 data for ocean and land monitoring.

Media can register here to attend the launch event at ILA: https://nikal.eventsair.com/sentinel-3b-launch-event/press

Interested media who cannot attend the event at ILA in Berlin are welcome to follow the launch from ESA's operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Please register by 24 April 2018 at: https://se.myconvento.com/public/event_register/index/2168381

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #20 on:** 04/20/2018 01:24 pm »

Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 03/27/2018 02:33 am

SFN Launch Schedule, updated March 26:
April 25, 1757 UTC

17:57:00 UTC

https://www.roscosmos.ru/24837/

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #21 on:** 04/20/2018 01:33 pm »

Is this the last Rokot launch? Question to me on Twitter.

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #22 on:** 04/20/2018 01:55 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/20/2018 01:33 pm

Is this the last Rokot launch? Question to me on Twitter.

No !
June ? Geo-IK 2 (13L)
December ? 3 x Rodnik

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #23 on:** 04/20/2018 02:00 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/20/2018 01:33 pm

Is this the last Rokot launch? Question to me on Twitter.

There should be at least 3 more flights, 2 for Russian military payloads and another for civilian use. However it is indeed planned for retirement at the end of this year.

Quote from: B. Hendrickx on 04/17/2018 10:32 am

Quote from: B. Hendrickx on 04/17/2018 10:07 am
It looks like another trio of Rodnik (Strela-3M/14F132) satellites are being prepared for launch, possibly later this year. ISS Reshetnyov has released documentation related to the transportation of the 14F132 Block nr. 16 satellites from Krasnoyarsk to Plesetsk on an Ilyushin-76 airplane. A transport company is to be selected in early May. No date for the transport has been scheduled yet. The documents only say that the transport company will be notified of the date 30 days in advance.

http://zakupki.gov.ru/223/purchase/public/purchase/info/common-info.html?regNumber=31806361861

It will be interesting to see if this Rodnik launch carries another of the inspector satellites as a piggyback payload, as did the Rodnik launches on 25 December 2013 (Kosmos-2491) and 24 May 2014 (Kosmos-2499). True, the latest Rodnik launch on 23 September 2015 did not have an additional payload. The last of the Rokot-launched inspector satellites (Kosmos-2504) went up with a trio of civilian Gonets-M satellites on 31 March 2015.

Looks like the Rodnik launch is planned for this summer. In an interview last January the director of the Khrunichev Center expressed the hope that all four remaining Rokot boosters will be launched before the end of this year :
- 26 March-6 April : Sentinel-3B
- June : Ministry of Defense payload
- summer : Ministry of Defense payload
- October : Gonets-M trio

https://iz.ru/693686/dmitrii-strugovetc/v-stolitce-budet-izgotovleno-shest-raket-angara-a5

The payload for the June launch is a GEO-IK geodetic satellite.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #24 on:** 04/20/2018 03:48 pm »

Quote

SENTINEL-3B ON THE MOVE

Released

20/04/2018 1:30 pm

Copyright

ESA–S. Corvaja

Description

The Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite cocooned in its rocket fairing has been moved from the cleanroom at the Plesetsk launch site to the general hall, ready to be placed on the train that will take it to the launch pad.

Sentinel-3B will ride into space on a Rockot on 25 April at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST). In orbit it will join its identical twin, Sentinel-3A, which was launched in 2016. This pairing of satellites provides the best coverage and data delivery for Copernicus. Sentinel-3B is the seventh Sentinel satellite to be launched for Copernicus. Its launch will complete the constellation of the first set of Sentinel missions for Europe’s Copernicus programme.

http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/04/Sentinel-3B_on_the_move

bolun · « **Reply #25 on:** 04/21/2018 03:15 pm »

04/20/2018

Upper Composite Being Readied for Transfer to the Launch Pad

Yesterday the encapsulation of the fairing was finalized and the fairing mission logos glued on the fairing. At the end of the evening everybody signed the fairing and wrote personal wishes on the sticker.

The movement of the space head (Upper Composite) to the general hall is the main event on our plan today. Just before moving all parties made their last pictures and said goodbye. The first big group of people is leaving Plesetsk today.

Tomorrow Upper Composite will be transported to the launch site and integrated on the Rockot 2nd stage.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/04/upper-composite-being-readied-for-transfer-to-the-launch-pad/

bolun · « **Reply #26 on:** 04/22/2018 12:17 pm »

04/21/2018

Upper Composite Transferred to the Launch Pad

Today the space head (Upper Composite) was transferred from the MIK (processing facility) to the launch pad where it was lifted and finally mated with the boosters.

In the evening this operation was followed by a successful electrical line check of the launch tower harness by Khrunichev and Thales.

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/04/upper-composite-transferred-to-the-launch-pad/

eeergo · « **Reply #27 on:** 04/23/2018 04:03 am »

Quote from: @esa

The countdown rehearsal was completed successfully today. Liftoff set for 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST) on Wednesday 25 April.

https://twitter.com/esa/status/988097928526024710

input~2 · « **Reply #28 on:** 04/23/2018 08:17 am »

BARENTS SEA.
NORWAY.
DNC 22.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
1730Z TO 1930Z DAILY 25 AND 26 APR
IN AREA BOUND BY
72-18-15N 030-54-30E, 72-10-15N 031-46-10E,
71-48-55N 032-18-27E, 71-31-42N 032-06-30E,
71-39-40N 031-16-30E, 72-00-55N 030-43-05E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 262030Z APR 18.//

Authority: NAVAREA XX 45/18 200530Z APR 18.

Date: 200559Z APR 18
Cancel: 26203000 Apr 18

input~2 · « **Reply #29 on:** 04/23/2018 08:51 am »

A0100/18 - DUE TO DEBRIS FROM RUSSIAN MISSILE LAUNCH, TEMPORARY DANGER AREA IS ESTABLISHED IN BGGL FIR WITHIN THE FOLLOWING LATERAL LIMITS: 773624N 0751200W 773545N 0740800W 770700N 0730600W 764725N 0742140W 764736N 0753542W 773624N 0751200W. FL195 - FL999, 25 APR 17:30 2018 UNTIL 25 APR 19:30 2018. CREATED: 16 APR 11:07 2018

A0152/18 - DUE TO DEBRIS FROM RUSSIAN MISSILE LAUNCH, TEMPORARY DANGER AREA IS ESTABLISHED IN BGGL FIR WITHIN THE FOLLOWING LATERAL LIMITS: 773624N0751200W 773545N0740800W 770700N0730600W 764725N0742140W 764736N0753542W 773624N0751200W. SFC - FL195, 25 APR 17:30 2018 UNTIL 25 APR 19:30 2018. CREATED: 16 APR 14:09 2018

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #30 on:** 04/23/2018 02:47 pm »

Photos from ESA

Alter Sachse · « **Reply #31 on:** 04/23/2018 03:54 pm »

Quote from: Alter Sachse on 04/20/2018 01:24 pm

Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 03/27/2018 02:33 am
SFN Launch Schedule, updated March 26:
April 25, 1757 UTC
17:57:00 UTC

https://www.roscosmos.ru/24837/

Specify: 17:57:38

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #32 on:** 04/24/2018 05:33 pm »

Quote

#DEIMOS2 just captured #Plesetsk launch site 133 today (Apr. 24) where #Sentinel3-B is ready for tomorrow's launch! Best of luck to @ESA and @CopernicusEU 🚀

https://twitter.com/urthecast/status/988809969054244870

Mapperuo · « **Reply #33 on:** 04/25/2018 06:32 am »

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #34 on:** 04/25/2018 07:07 am »

Moved for live coverage.

eeergo · « **Reply #35 on:** 04/25/2018 08:22 am »

Quote from: @ESAoperations

[1 m ago] Flight Control B-Team 'on console' in Main Control Room at ESOC. Sentinel-3B launch preparation in full flow.
[27 m ago] Launch minus 10 hours - Sentinel-3B team in Plesetsk have powered up the spacecraft and we have telemetry in ESOC - All looks good so far!
[2 h ago] Report from Sentinel-3B software support team - All systems Green in the ESOC control centre Main Control Room

eeergo · « **Reply #36 on:** 04/25/2018 08:47 am »

Quote from: @ESAoperations

The Sentinel on guard in #MainControlRoom at #ESOC. Team mascot supporting #Sentinel3 B launch today! Now approaching launch minus 9 hours…

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #37 on:** 04/25/2018 02:01 pm »

William Graham's launch article!
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/04/rokot-sentinel-3b-launch/

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #38 on:** 04/25/2018 03:11 pm »

Is there a link to the live coverage - either from Russia or ESA - and what time is it scheduled to start, please?

Olaf · « **Reply #39 on:** 04/25/2018 03:25 pm »

Quote from: Phillip Clark on 04/25/2018 03:11 pm

Is there a link to the live coverage - either from Russia or ESA - and what time is it scheduled to start, please?

http://www.esa.int/ESA
http://online.roscosmos.ru/
Start 17.30 UTC

starbase · « **Reply #40 on:** 04/25/2018 03:46 pm »

Seems it will be live on YouTube too:

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #41 on:** 04/25/2018 04:30 pm »

Quote

#Sentinel3 B Launch minus 1 hour 30 mins - the Flight Director at #ESOC has conducted the first Go/No-Go roll call of the Flight Control Team - All 'GO' for Launch!

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/989179469414969347

William Graham · « **Reply #42 on:** 04/25/2018 05:47 pm »

Ten minutes to launch

William Graham · « **Reply #43 on:** 04/25/2018 05:48 pm »

MST is being retracted

William Graham · « **Reply #44 on:** 04/25/2018 05:50 pm »

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #45 on:** 04/25/2018 05:51 pm »

There it is.

William Graham · « **Reply #46 on:** 04/25/2018 05:52 pm »

MST still moving away from Rokot

William Graham · « **Reply #47 on:** 04/25/2018 05:54 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #48 on:** 04/25/2018 05:55 pm »

Spacecraft rollout to the pad, six days ago

William Graham · « **Reply #49 on:** 04/25/2018 05:55 pm »

T-2 minutes, 30 seconds

William Graham · « **Reply #50 on:** 04/25/2018 05:56 pm »

Rokot switches to internal systems at T-0, ignition 11 seconds later and liftoff 2.5 seconds after that.

William Graham · « **Reply #51 on:** 04/25/2018 05:57 pm »

T-1 minute

William Graham · « **Reply #52 on:** 04/25/2018 05:58 pm »

Liftoff

William Graham · « **Reply #53 on:** 04/25/2018 05:59 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #54 on:** 04/25/2018 06:00 pm »

Heading North-Northwest

William Graham · « **Reply #55 on:** 04/25/2018 06:00 pm »

First stage separation

William Graham · « **Reply #56 on:** 04/25/2018 06:01 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #57 on:** 04/25/2018 06:01 pm »

Fairing separation

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #58 on:** 04/25/2018 06:01 pm »

Launch shots

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #59 on:** 04/25/2018 06:02 pm »

Staging, fairing sep.

William Graham · « **Reply #60 on:** 04/25/2018 06:02 pm »

T+4 minutes

William Graham · « **Reply #61 on:** 04/25/2018 06:04 pm »

Second stage separation and Briz-KM ignition

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #62 on:** 04/25/2018 06:04 pm »

On to the Briz-M

William Graham · « **Reply #63 on:** 04/25/2018 06:04 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #64 on:** 04/25/2018 06:09 pm »

Passing over Greenland

William Graham · « **Reply #65 on:** 04/25/2018 06:11 pm »

One minute remaining in the first Briz-KM burn

William Graham · « **Reply #66 on:** 04/25/2018 06:13 pm »

Briz-KM shutdown. Into an hour-long coast phase.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #67 on:** 04/25/2018 06:14 pm »

People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition

William Graham · « **Reply #68 on:** 04/25/2018 06:17 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2018 06:14 pm

People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition

Rockot is technically correct - as long as you also use "Soyouz". And if you're going to use "Breeze", you'll have to start calling Soyuz "Union".

William Graham · « **Reply #69 on:** 04/25/2018 06:17 pm »

Replay of the launch

William Graham · « **Reply #70 on:** 04/25/2018 06:19 pm »

Mapperuo · « **Reply #71 on:** 04/25/2018 06:21 pm »

SciNews · « **Reply #72 on:** 04/25/2018 06:22 pm »

Main events of the Rockot/Sentinel-3B launch

William Graham · « **Reply #73 on:** 04/25/2018 06:24 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #74 on:** 04/25/2018 07:06 pm »

ESA coverage resuming with a launch replay

jacqmans · « **Reply #75 on:** 04/25/2018 07:08 pm »

The Sentinel-3B launch event at ILA, the Berlin Air and Space Show on 25 April 2018.

The Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite lifted off at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST) on 25 April 2018. Its identical twin, Sentinel-3A, has been in orbit since February 2016. The two-satellite constellation offers optimum global coverage and data delivery for Europe’s Copernicus environment programme.

ILA is one of the world’s largest aerospace trade shows, bringing together the international aerospace community, industry, space agencies and trade visitors interested in discovering the latest aerospace developments and new business opportunities.

William Graham · « **Reply #76 on:** 04/25/2018 07:10 pm »

72 minutes into flight

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #77 on:** 04/25/2018 07:11 pm »

Quote

Laughing on the voice loop at #ESOC - the Ground Operations Manager requested a 'ToV', essentially the difference between scheduled and actual launch time. The response was 17 milliseconds! That's quite an accurate launch! Thanks #Rockot

https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/989214592281784320

William Graham · « **Reply #78 on:** 04/25/2018 07:12 pm »

Coming up on Briz-KM restart for its second burn. This will circularise its orbit for Sentinel-3B deployment.

William Graham · « **Reply #79 on:** 04/25/2018 07:13 pm »

Burn should now be underway - no telemetry at the moment as Briz is not over a ground station.

William Graham · « **Reply #80 on:** 04/25/2018 07:14 pm »

And burn should now be complete.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #81 on:** 04/25/2018 07:16 pm »

Good render of the instrumentation.

William Graham · « **Reply #82 on:** 04/25/2018 07:16 pm »

About a minute and a half until spacecraft separation.

William Graham · « **Reply #83 on:** 04/25/2018 07:17 pm »

William Graham · « **Reply #84 on:** 04/25/2018 07:18 pm »

No graphic, but spacecraft should have separated

William Graham · « **Reply #85 on:** 04/25/2018 07:23 pm »

Graphics are still showing Sentinel-3B attached to the Briz-KM, even though it should have separated by now. Nothing to worry about - the animation is not live and Briz-KM is currently out of sight of its ground stations, so we won't have had confirmation of spacecraft sep yet.

William Graham · « **Reply #86 on:** 04/25/2018 07:28 pm »

Waiting for acquisition of signal at Kiruna

William Graham · « **Reply #87 on:** 04/25/2018 07:30 pm »

Screen will show the signal once it is received at Kiruna

William Graham · « **Reply #88 on:** 04/25/2018 07:31 pm »

Signal has been acquired

William Graham · « **Reply #89 on:** 04/25/2018 07:31 pm »

Separation confirmed and solar array deployment is in progress

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #90 on:** 04/25/2018 07:31 pm »

S/C Sep!

Many thanks to William for the coverage and his article!

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/04/rokot-sentinel-3b-launch/

William Graham · « **Reply #91 on:** 04/25/2018 07:32 pm »

Solar array fully deployed

deruch · « **Reply #92 on:** 04/25/2018 07:34 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2018 06:14 pm

People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition

ESA seems to agree with the philistines. That's what's their PR and animation is showing written on the sides of the respective stages:

ROCKOT- https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1813130#msg1813130
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1814478#msg1814478

BREEZE- https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1814488#msg1814488

That said, they are Russian vehicles with Russian names. All transliterated spellings are more or less interchangeable. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that we don't use the same alphabet. And since there isn't a set convention on whether foreign names should be transliterated or translated, either way on Briz/Breeze is perfectly fine.

William Graham · « **Reply #93 on:** 04/25/2018 07:36 pm »

ESA ending their coverage. Congratulations to them and to Eurockot/Khrunichev on a successful launch.

bolun · « **Reply #94 on:** 04/25/2018 08:55 pm »

04/25/2018

Rockot Launcher Successfully Injects Sentinel-3B Earth Observation Satellite

Eurockot Launch Services GmbH of Bremen, Germany, successfully injected the Sentinel-3B satellite today at 20:57 hrs local time (17:57 hrs UTC, 19:57 hrs CET) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia for the European Space Agency (ESA) using a Rockot launch vehicle. The satellite was injected at approximately 818 km altitude and 98.63 degrees inclination.

This was Eurockot’s third launch in support of the European Copernicus multiple satellite system following the successful launch of Sentinel-3A in February 2016 and Sentinel-5p in October 2017.

Copernicus is the Earth Observation Satellite Programme headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). Copernicus satellites support the European Union`s European policy of improving the management of the environment globally to help mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

Eurockot Launch Services GmbH is the joint venture of ArianeGroup (51%) and Khrunichev Space Center (49%).

http://www.eurockot.com/2018/04/rockot-launcher-successfully-injects-sentinel-3b-earth-observation-satellite/

Credits: ESA

jcm · « **Reply #95 on:** 04/25/2018 11:08 pm »

Quote from: deruch on 04/25/2018 07:34 pm

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2018 06:14 pm
People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition

ESA seems to agree with the philistines. That's what's their PR and animation is showing written on the sides of the respective stages:

ROCKOT- https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1813130#msg1813130
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1814478#msg1814478

BREEZE- https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44884.msg1814488#msg1814488

That said, they are Russian vehicles with Russian names. All transliterated spellings are more or less interchangeable. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that we don't use the same alphabet. And since there isn't a set convention on whether foreign names should be transliterated or translated, either way on Briz/Breeze is perfectly fine.

Yes. BREEZE is the name used by the vehicle owner and operator when marketing to English speakers.
бриз is the name of the vehicle in the vehicle manufacturer's language, and Briz is the (standard, pretty much)
transliteration of that name in English.

As a pedant, I consider the Russian name to be the correct name, and the English transliteration of the Russian name as the most precise way to refer to the vehicle in English, rather than using the English rendering that the Russians think the stupid English speakers should use.

As commented above, unless we talk about the Union spacecraft docking to the Star module on ISS (instead of Soyuz docking to Zvezda), the consistent thing is to use Rokot and Briz, perhaps noting that they are
known as Rockot and Breeze to Eurockot marketing.

I consider the Russian-language documents to be definitive and I'm translating/transliterating them and not giving the Eurockot English-lang docs any weight

catdlr · « **Reply #96 on:** 04/26/2018 03:53 am »

complete launch replay coverage:

Launch of Russian Rokot with ESA's Sentinel 3B Satellite

Space Videos
Streamed live

When: April 25th 2018, 17:30 UTC. 14:30 New York Time
What: Launch of Rokot with Sentinel 3B for European Space Agency (ESA)
Where: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia

Russia will launch a Rokot rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia on April 25th 2018 with liftoff set for 17:57 UTC. The rocket will place the Sentinel 3B environmental monitoring satellite for the European Space Agency into orbit.

Lewis007 · « **Reply #97 on:** 04/26/2018 06:34 am »

ESA posted some launch pics on its website

eeergo · « **Reply #98 on:** 04/26/2018 06:46 am »

Quote from: Lewis007 on 04/26/2018 06:34 am

ESA posted some launch pics on its website

Well, those fairing decals sure didn't last long

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #99 on:** 04/26/2018 06:51 am »

Congratulations to Eurockot and ESA for the successful launch!

Nicolas PILLET · « **Reply #100 on:** 04/26/2018 08:08 am »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2018 06:14 pm

People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition

They should ask Vladeemeer Puteen in the Ckremlin about his opinion on this subject...

jacqmans · « **Reply #101 on:** 04/26/2018 10:49 am »

Press Release

N°08-2018

Paris, 25 April 2018

Seventh Sentinel satellite launched for Copernicus

The second Sentinel-3 satellite, Copernicus Sentinel-3B, was launched today, joining its identical twin Sentinel-3A in orbit. This pairing of satellites increases coverage and data delivery for the European Union’s Copernicus environment programme.

The 1150 kg Sentinel-3B satellite was carried into orbit on a Rockot launcher from Plesetsk, Russia, at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST; 21:57 local time) on 25 April.

Rockot’s upper stage delivered Sentinel-3B into its planned orbit..

Just 92 minutes after liftoff, Sentinel-3B sent its first signals to the Kiruna station in Sweden. Data links were quickly established by teams at ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, allowing them to assume control of the satellite.

During the three-day launch and the early orbit phase, controllers will check that all the satellite’s systems are working and begin calibrating the instruments to commission the satellite. The mission is expected to begin routine operations after five months.

“This is the seventh launch of a Sentinel satellite in the last four years. It is a clear demonstration of what European cooperation can achieve and it is another piece to operating the largest Earth observation programme in the world, together with our partners from the European Commission and Eumetsat,” said ESA Director General Jan Wörner.

With this launch, the first set of Sentinel missions for the European Union’s Copernicus environmental monitoring network are in orbit, carrying a range of technologies to monitor Earth’s land, oceans and atmosphere.

ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, said, “With Sentinel-3B, Europe has put the first constellation of Sentinel missions into orbit – this is no small job and has required strong support by all involved. It allows us to get a very detailed picture of our planet on a daily basis and provides crucial information for policy makers.

“It also offers lots of opportunities for commercial companies to develop new innovative services. And, the free and open data policy allows every citizen to have updates for their own use.

“When we designed such a satellite constellation 20 years ago not everyone was convinced Europe could do that. I am glad to see this has become reality and that it is now a large European success story.”

Copernicus relies on the Sentinels and contributing missions to provide data for monitoring the environment and for supporting civil security activities. Sentinel-3 carries a series of cutting-edge sensors to do just that.

Over oceans, it measures the temperature, colour and height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice. These measurements are used, for example, to monitor changes in Earth’s climate and for more hands-on applications such as marine pollution.

Over land, this innovative mission monitors wildfires, maps the way land is used, checks vegetation health and measures the height of rivers and lakes.

Data from the Copernicus Programme are used worldwide and are free of charge.

jacqmans · « **Reply #102 on:** 04/26/2018 10:50 am »

Press release, 26 April 2018

Launch of Sentinel-3B – twin satellites united in space - Copernicus programme Earth observation mission explores the climate impact of the oceans

Full article with images: http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-27031/year-all/#/gallery/30327

The Sentinel-3 satellite pair, one of the principal components of the European Copernicus programme, is now united in space. On 25 April 2018 at 19:57 CEST (20:57 local time) the Earth observation satellite Sentinel-3B lifted off on a Russian Rockot
launcher from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. "The twin satellites will now monitor Earth together," explains Michael Nyenhuis, responsible for the Sentinel-3 mission at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration.
"Once Sentinel-3B has been successfully commissioned in orbit, the system will be fully operational and we will receive valuable additional data."

Optimised orbit allows additional ocean observations

Sentinel-3B is now orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 815 kilometres, in the same polar orbit as its identical twin, Sentinel-3A, which was launched in February 2016. At the start of their joint mission, the satellites are flying in tandem,
just 30 seconds apart, to calibrate their many sensors. Later, they will move apart, to a separation of about 40 minutes, to ensure the best temporal coverage of Earth's surface. Based on the findings obtained with Sentinel-3A, the orbit of Sentinel-3B
was optimised to allow more frequent measurements of sea level. The satellite will send data to Earth for at least seven years. The oceans are the focus of the mission, but large-scale changes in land areas will also be recorded.

Oceans store and transport heat

The water masses on Earth, which cover about 70 percent of the planet's surface, store and transport large amounts of energy and heat. As a result, they have a strong influence on Earth’s climate and weather systems. The extensive data on water temperature,
sea level and ocean ice thickness, which the two identical Sentinel-3 satellites will transmit in near real time, are therefore of interest to more than just the maritime transport industry. Most importantly, they provide the basis for accurate weather
forecasting and climate research – for example, to produce models of climate change that are as realistic as possible. In addition, the data allow monitoring of marine pollution and the amount of biomass produced in the oceans.

Over land, the Sentinel-3 mission aims to detect active forest fires and burnt areas in order to assess carbon emissions, but also to provide large-scale information on disaster risks. In addition, the satellites will investigate different types of
land use and the state of vegetation on Earth's surface. These data will be used for the creation of maps as well as in modern agricultural management. Other tasks for the twin satellites include, for example, the detection of what are referred to
as heat islands – that is, localised temperature increases that occur over large cities. Their influence on the regional climate and the impact of climate change on these cities are still largely unexplored.

DLR is an important partner in the ground segment

Three Processing and Archiving Centres (PACs) receive, process and store Sentinal-3 data. One of them is DLR's Earth Observation Center (EOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen. The raw data received by the ground station in Svalbard, Norway, reaches the site via
the Copernicus high-performance data network. Here, information products are created and made accessible to scientific users and the public in the long-term archive. The first test data is expected a few days after the satellite launch. Calibrated
and corrected data is expected to be available in September.

The Sentinel-3B data will continue to expand the Copernicus database in the German Satellite Data Archive (Deutschen Satellitendatenarchiv; DSDA). Together with the data from the Sentinel-1 radar mission, over 3.6 million data sets and a data volume
of more than 7200 terabytes (7.1 petabytes) have been stored in just three-and-a-half years. Burned onto CDs, this would create a tower around 1800 metres high – five-and-a-half times the height of the Eiffel Tower. "Processing and analysing this vast
amount of data is the new challenge for Earth observation. Thanks to our many years of experience in handling enormous amounts of data – for example, in the context of the TanDEM-X mission – we are now able to use our methods to carry out Big Data
analyses in Earth observation," says Stefan Dech, one of the two directors of the EOC.

With the launch of Sentinel-3B, the Copernicus programme's seventh satellite is in orbit and the first four satellite missions of the Copernicus space segment are now complete. In addition to Sentinel-3, these include Sentinel-1's two radar satellites
– which observe Earth day and night and through cloud cover – Sentinel-2A and -2B, which focus on landmasses, and Sentinel-5P for measuring air pollutants, greenhouse gases and aerosols. The next launch of a Copernicus satellite is scheduled for 2020.

Sentinel-3 – a European cooperation

The Sentinel-3 mission is part of the Copernicus programme, a partnership between the European Union (EU) and ESA. Following the commissioning of the satellites in orbit, the mission will be jointly conducted by ESA and the European Organisation for
the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) on behalf of the EU. ESA is responsible for creating data products for land surfaces, while EUMETSAT provides the ocean and atmospheric products. The two Sentinel-3 satellites were built by a
consortium of approximately 100 European companies under the leadership of Thales Alenia Space (France). The DLR Space Administration manages the German contributions to the programme on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
(Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur; BMVI) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Energie; BMWi).

The EU and ESA Copernicus programme

The EU and ESA are creating a powerful and sustainable Earth observation infrastructure for Europe with Copernicus – formerly known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES). The EU operates satellite-based information services for Earth's
surface, oceans and atmosphere, as well as for disaster management, climate change and security. These services are based on six satellite families called Sentinels. They are developed by ESA in the Copernicus Space Component (CSC) programme and operated
on behalf of the EU. Satellite data from third parties are also included in Copernicus, such as data from the German satellites TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and RapidEye. The Sentinels complement the existing satellite missions to create the world’s most comprehensive
and powerful civilian Earth observation satellite system.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #103 on:** 04/26/2018 06:47 pm »

Stan Black · « **Reply #104 on:** 04/27/2018 09:50 am »

Quote from: William Graham on 04/25/2018 06:17 pm

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 04/25/2018 06:14 pm
People on Twitter not happy about "Rokot" and "Briz". Insisting it's "Rockot and Breeze" as that's what everyone else says. Give me ammunition ;)

Rockot is technically correct - as long as you also use "Soyouz". And if you're going to use "Breeze", you'll have to start calling Soyuz "Union".

It is just Rokot. A Rokot is made up of several parts including a Briz-KM upper stage. There is also a 14С76 fairing, launch tube 15С300, a former RS18 missile amongst other parts.

Briz is pronounced like breeze. So when people use Breeze, are they trying to spell it phonetically or trying to translate? If you use Breeze don’t think of the English word ‘breeze’.

Also explains the use of ‘ck’ for a ‘k’ sound. Confusion for me is that a ‘c’ in some slav languages, that use the latin alphabet, is used for a ‘ts’ sound. Like the Germans use a ‘z’ for ‘ts’.

A Rockot type launch vehicle was launched with a Briz (pronounce like the word Breeze) upper stage, something like that? Sloppy.

Stick with Rokot and Briz.

nsn · « **Reply #105 on:** 04/27/2018 12:55 pm »

It is actually "Рокот" and "Бриз", nothing more. The way Russian names are written in Latin alphabets is up to the speakers of languages that use Latin script. It may vary for different languages.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #106 on:** 04/27/2018 01:20 pm »

I blame Europe for putting "Rockot" on the side of it

Nicolas PILLET · « **Reply #107 on:** 04/30/2018 12:51 pm »

Briz-KM was n°725-23.

https://www.kosmonavtika.com/lancements/2018/25042018/25042018-80.jpg

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #108 on:** 05/17/2018 11:13 pm »

With the success of this launch, does Eurockot Launch Services dissolve?

The three remaining Rokot launches are all Russian government payloads.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #109 on:** 05/18/2018 05:54 am »

Their web site is still going, but the manifest is empty.

http://www.eurockot.com/missions/manifest/

russianhalo117 · « **Reply #110 on:** 05/18/2018 08:42 pm »

Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 05/17/2018 11:13 pm

With the success of this launch, does Eurockot Launch Services dissolve?

The three remaining Rokot launches are all Russian government payloads.

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 05/18/2018 05:54 am

Their web site is still going, but the manifest is empty.

http://www.eurockot.com/missions/manifest/

Eurockot also post government launches so i don't expect the site to retire until Rockot formally does.

russianhalo117 · « **Reply #111 on:** 06/01/2018 02:46 pm »

Quote from: russianhalo117 on 05/18/2018 08:42 pm

Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 05/17/2018 11:13 pm
With the success of this launch, does Eurockot Launch Services dissolve?

The three remaining Rokot launches are all Russian government payloads.
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 05/18/2018 05:54 am
Their web site is still going, but the manifest is empty.

http://www.eurockot.com/missions/manifest/
Eurockot also post government launches so i don't expect the site to retire until Rockot formally does.

On a side note:

I'm told that the Strela Launch vehicle is un-affected by the geo-political outcome. There is a consensus to also retire Strela but that has not officially happened yet. Strela can be deployed from the Rockot launch site if needed albeit with a performance hit.