Gonets
 | |
| Manufacturer | NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Operator |
RKA (Until 1996) Gonets SatCom (1996-Present) |
| Applications | Communication |
| Specifications | |
| Design life | 5 years |
| Launch mass | 233 to 280 kilograms (514 to 617 lb) |
| Power | 40 Watts from solar panels |
| Batteries | Nickel/Hydrogen |
| Equipment |
UHF transponders[1] (NATO B/D band) Data rate up to 64kb/s |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Production | |
| Status | Active |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Strela |
Gonets (Russian Гонец, Messenger) is a Russian civilian low Earth orbit communication satellite system. It consists of a number of satellites, derived from Strela military communication satellites. The first two satellites, which were used to test and validate the system, were launched by a Tsyklon-3 carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on 13 July 1992,[2] and were designated Gonets-D.[3] The first operational satellites, designated Gonets-D1, were launched on 19 February 1996.[3] After launch, the first three satellites were given military Kosmos designations, a practice which was not continued with the other satellites.[2]
Ten operational satellites and two demonstration spacecraft have been placed in orbit. A further three were lost in a launch failure on 27 December 2000. A new series of modernised Gonets satellites, Gonets-D1M, will supplement and eventually replace the satellites which are currently in orbit. A single first D1M satellite was launched by a Kosmos-3M rocket on 21 December 2005.[4] A second D1M satellite was launched by a Rokot carrier rocket on 8 September 2010.[4]
Gonets was originally a Russian Federal Space Agency programme, however in 1996 it was privatised, and it is now organised by Gonets SatCom,[5] which is controlled by ISS Reshetnev.[6]
On 2016, the system consists of 13 satellites (12 Gonets-M and 1 Gonets-D1). On March 2015, the Rokot carrier rocket, launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, successfully put three Gonets-M communications satellites into the final orbit.[7]
User characteristics
Currently, the Gonets orbit group comprises 12 2-nd generation space crafts (SC) “Gonets-M” and 1 1-st generation SC “Gonets-D1”. The orbit group performs the task of direct communication with subscribers at any point of the globe. With such a number of SC in the Gonets orbit group, the system provides communication with waiting time characteristics as indicates the table.
| City,location | lat.(deg.) | Session probability=0,9 WT, min | Session probability=0,8 WT, min | Session probability=0,7 WT, min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meru, Kenya | 0° | 25.04 | 19.98 | 13.54 |
| Fuli, Vietnam / Vitoria, Brazil | 20° / -20° | 19.47 | 14.97 | 8.85 |
| Yerevan, Armenia / Wellington, New Zealand | 40° / -40° | 17.79 | 12.04 | 6.08 |
| Belgorod, Russia / Isla Duque de York, Chile | 50° / -50° | 15.00 | 8.19 | 2.17 |
| Vyborg, Russia / Orcadas Antarctic Station | 60° / -60° | 5.64 | 1.78 | 0.00 |
| Kara Gate Straight, Barencts Sea / Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctic | 70° / -70° | 3.45 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Gall Island, North Arctic Ocean / Antarctic Kunlun Station | 80° / -80° | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| North Pole / Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station | 90° / -90° | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Technical characteristics of subscriber terminals 0.3 - 0.4 GHz
| Transmitter power | 8-10 W |
| Positioning accuracy by GPS/GLONASS | up to 10 m |
| Modulation | GMSK |
| Power supply | AC 220 V, DC 12 V |
| Weight | 100-300 g |
| Bitrates: "Subscriber - Satellite" | 2.4 – 9.6 kbit/s |
| Bitrates: "Satellite - Subscriber" | 9.6 - 76.8 kbit/s |
See also
External links
References
- ↑ "GONETS". Small Satellites Home Page. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- 1 2 Wade, Mark. "Strela". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "Gonets". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
- 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "Gonets-M". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
- ↑ "Leosat system "Gonets"". Gonets SatCom. Archived from the original on 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ↑ "Investors - GONETS Leosat system". gonets.ru. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ↑ "Russia completes its Gonets orbital group.". Retrieved 2015-03-31.