Orbital Focus - International Spaceflight Facts and Figures
carousel image
 
Russian Mix


Tyneside, UK
2024 Mar 29
Friday, Day 89

Curated by:



















Ascent Trajectory - Luch 5A and Amos 5 Launch

Launched 2011 Dec 11, 11:17 UTC from Baikonur using Proton-M/Briz-M.


Initial Ascent to Orbit

The diagram is from the Proton launch control centre's 'big screen' and depicts events during the ascent. One very noticeable item is that the trajectory seems to have been a little flatter than planned but that the launch vehicle seems to have made up for it by firing for longer, or providing a more powerful thrust towards the end.

Luch 5A and Amos 5 ascent trajectory


Briz-M Firing Plan

Luch 5A and Amos 5 Briz-M fiings


APT Separation

The auxiliary propellant tank separates from the stack which consists of the Briz-M containing sufficient propellant for the final firing, satellite separation and lowering Briz-M's own orbit. Amos 5 is in the middle and Luch 5A is at the top.

Luch 5A and Amos 5 APTseparation


Briz-M Orbit Changes

Each firing of the Briz-M resulted in an orbit change. In the panel below is the result of a series of orbit measurements as the Briz-M climbed to apogee to released the two satellites and then move safely away to avoid potential interference with future launches. At present it is not complete but will fill up as milestones are reached.

The first entry, with a negative perigee, describes the trajectory at the point the Briz-M and satellite stack separated from the Proton-M third stage. Had it failed to fire then it would have followed the Proton into a fiery re-entry and an ignominious end in the Pacific Ocean near 161° west, 24° north. Thereafter there is an entry showing the result of each firing of the engine.

2011-074
Proton-M + Briz-M
Baikonur Cosmodrome
2011 Dec 11, 11:17
Briz-M
2011-074C
37952
in space
The final two entries are estimates based on Khrunichev's orbital data as the satellites were released into independent orbit. Over the next few hours, the Briz-M performed two further engine firings to distance itself from the satellites and from the geosynchronous satellite belt.

epoch (UTC)         
s-m axis
( km )
ecc    perigee
( km )
apogee
( km )
period
( min )
incl 
( ° )
ω  
( ° )
2011 Dec 11, 11:2662190.0529-48917081.3451.4790
2011 Dec 11, 11:3465510.000017317387.9551.45120
2011 Dec 11, 12:4290080.26282624998141.8150.07355
2011 Dec 11, 15:04245670.724339635982638.6947.860
2011 Dec 11, 20:10422100.004135660360051438.424.900
2011 Dec 11, 21:00423410.000435945359821445.130.00180




Copyright © Robert Christy, all rights reserved
Reproduction of this web page or any of its content without permission from the website owner is prohibited