Project Implementation Progress
November 26, 2001 at 21:24:12 Moscow time the Progress
M1-7 transport cargo vehicle with Colibri microsatellite
(MS) accommodated in the payload compartment was launched
from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the near-earth orbit in
compliance with the International Space Station (ISS) flight
program.
December 03, 2001 at 17:51:39 the Progress M1-7 cargo vehicle
docked with the ISS orbital complex. The Colibri MS was
disassembled from the cargo vehicle and transferred to Functional
Cargo Block Zarya for storage.
March 17, 2002 the crew of the fourth main expedition of
the ISS - Russian cosmonaut Yuri Onufrienko (commander of
ISS-4) and U.S. astronauts Кард Уолз and Дэниэл Берш (flight
engineers of ISS-4) before the cargo vehicle separation
provided the microsatellite preparation for launch: installed
the microsatellite container on the docking ring of the
cargo vehicle.
March 19, 2002 at 20:43 the Progress M1-7 vehicle undocking
from Russian Service module Zvezda was provided in the radio
coverage (visibility) area of the Russian ground stations;
after the undocking the vehicle was transferred to a free
flight mode.
March 20, 2002 at 01:28 after separation and departure
of Russian transport cargo vehicle Progress M1-7 from the
International Space Station for a safe distance the launch
of Russian-Australian scientific-educational microsatellite
Colibri was provided from the Progress M1-7 cargo vehicle,
then the satellite unpinning and its automatic removal from
the container were provided.
March 20, 2002 at 2:53 ground control complex (GCC) located
in Kaluga detected this microsatellite and established radio
communication with it.
Presently GCC provides the flight control of the satellite
with regard to its attitude stabilization in flight, testing
of its service systems and the scientific equipment set
and also provides processing and analysis of the telemetry
data obtained. The transmitter operates, its signal is stable
and of a good level. Operations with the Colibri MS to be
continued.
By 30 April 2002 MS has performed more than 630 orbits
around the Earth. More than 200 communication contacts were
established from MS. The service systems and science hardware
complex operate to a full extent. New data on fluctuations
of the Earth's magnetic field and energy particle fluxes
during strong geomagnetic disturbances on April 17 and April
23 were obtained. The data on the impact of the Earth's
disturbed atmosphere on the nature and rate of the MS orbit
changes were analyzed.
According to the ballistic analysis made by S.P. Korolev
RSC Energia specialists, MS will make an atmospheric re-entry
and be destroyed on 3-4 May 2002. Taking into account the
significance of obtaining scientific data in low-earth orbits,
all service systems and science hardware complex will operate
and transmit data to the Earth within this period.
On May 3, 2002 the micro-satellite (MS) "Kolibri-2000"
which had been launched in space on March 20, 2002 within
the framework of a Russian-Australian scientific and educational
project, ended its life in Earth orbit. Its mission lasted
45 days, during which time MS Kolibri-2000 completed 711
orbits around the Earth and there were more than 230 communications
sessions with the Main Ground Control Station at Kaluga
and data receiving and processing stations at Tarusa, Obninsk
(Russia), and Sydney (Australia). After completing its program
of scientific and engineering experiments, micro-satellite
Kolibri-2000 re-entered atmosphere and disintegrated over
Pacific Ocean at 23 hours 19 minutes Moscow Time. The scientists
continue to process the unique data obtained from the micro-satellite,
that allow to start working on the publication of educational
materials, and also to start developing the program for
the subsequent missions of scientific and educational micro-satellites
of this series that will take into account the results of
the first mission.
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