Gorizont 33 Explained

Gorizont 33
Names List:Горизонт 33
Horizon 33
Gorizont 45L
Mission Type:Communications
Operator:Kosmicheskiya Svyaz (RSCC)
Cospar Id:2000-029A
Satcat:26373
Website:https://eng.rscc.ru/
Mission Duration:3 years (planned)
8 years (achieved)
Spacecraft:Gorizont 33
Spacecraft Type:KAUR
Spacecraft Bus:KAUR-3
Manufacturer:NPO PM
Dimensions:2 m (diameter)
5 m (height)
Power:1280 watts
Launch Date:6 June 2000, 02:59:00 UTC
Launch Rocket:Proton-K / Briz-M
Launch Site:Baikonur, Site 81/24
Launch Contractor:Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Entered Service:August 2000
Disposal Type:Graveyard orbit
Deactivated:March 2008
Orbit Reference:Geocentric orbit
Orbit Regime:Geostationary orbit
Orbit Longitude:145° East
Apsis:gee
Trans Band:7 transponders:
6 C-band
1 Ku-band
Trans Coverage:Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States
Programme:Gorizont constellation
Previous Mission:Gorizont 32

Gorizont 33 (Russian: Горизонт 33 meaning "Horizon 33"), also known as Gorizont 45L was a Russian communications satellite operated by Kosmicheskiya Svyaz (RSCC). It was the last satellite to be launched as part of the Gorizont constellation. Constructed by NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki (NPO PM), it was based on the KAUR-3 satellite bus. Its launch was contracted by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, using a Proton-K / Briz-M launch vehicle.

Launch

The launch occurred at 02:59:00 UTC on 6 June 2000 from Site 81/24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This was the first successful launch of a Proton with a Briz-M upper stage, and as the previous Proton/Briz-M launch failed during the second stage burn, on 5 July 1999, the first firing of a Briz-M in flight.[1] The Proton itself flew with uprated engines, increasing its payload capacity ahead of the launch of Zvezda, a little over a month later, on 12 July 2000. The launch was conducted as a test flight of the Proton, and the satellite would not have been considered a significant loss if it had not reached orbit.

Mission

Following its launch and on-orbit testing, it was placed in geosynchronous orbit at 145° East,[2] from where it provides communications services to Russia.[3] It carried seven transponders, and had an expected on-orbit lifespan of three years.[4] [5] Its stabilisation system failed in March 2008, leaving the satellite drifting at a rate of 0.3° West per day, eight years after it had been launched.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Issue 428. Jonathan's Space Report. 10 June 2000. 22 April 2021. 3 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204516/http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.428. dead.
  2. Web site: Gorizont 33. TSE. 28 February 2021. 22 April 2021.
  3. Web site: Gorizont 33. Satellite News Digest. 12 March 2021. 22 April 2021. 3 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224053/http://sat-index.co.uk/geo/26372.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Gorizont 1 - 33 (11F662) / Tongastar 1 / Rimsat 1, 2 / PASI 1 / AsiaSat G / LMI-AP 1, 2 . Gunter's Space Page. 22 April 2021.
  5. Web site: Gorizont. Encyclopedia Astronautica. Mark. Wade. 2009-05-03. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080617211454/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/gorizont.htm. 2008-06-17.