“LIVE ROCKET LAUNCH - Watch as the European Space Agency (ESA) launches the Sentinel-5P satellite from northern Russia at 5:27 EDT (10:27am BST). The satellite will track global air pollution from orbit.”
The liftoff trajectory of this rocket launch was directed over East Carelia so it appeared possible to plot on the bistatic ‘ham radar’ experiment strips. Checking monitor strip of Arkhangelsk TV carrier, there were signs of a rather faint very fast doppler crossing among usual aircraft doppler traces. The time of the fast doppler trace at 12:27 FT matched with liftoff time told in the video link below.
Range limit for aircraft on high altitude with the VHF bistatic radar experiment is radio horizon about 420 … 450 km away. A high rocket launch has of course longer radio horizon but it has an altitude limit regarding TV transmitter low radiating aerials. Rocket may plot a doppler until about 100 km altitude when flying between receiver and TV transmitter like the Rockot in this case did. Very high flights like satellites above 100 km are above TV transmitter vertical patterns of radiation so they are not visible on these bistatic doppler strips.
No Launch Trajectory Info
It is very uncertain to prepare for spotting dopplers of these rocket launches because there is no advance info available about their initial launch directions, trajectories, altitudes and velocities. This launch information would be needed for proper receiver setups and aerial directions to catch a clear rocket launch doppler. Launches are rare and usually directed to east away from reach of this doppler experiment. This launch had been delayed 6 times so it was not evident that it would be launched now, either. Because of all this it is a matter of good luck to have freqs and aerials oriented correctly for catching a rocket launch doppler from the part of launch trajectory that is within altitude and bearing limits of reception setup.
A couple of common aircraft dopplers are marked on the attached screenshot along with the circled faint tracks that appear Rockot doppler crossing traces on wide and narrow spectrum strips. The strip speeds are set for aircrafts and I was no prepared for very fast objects like a rocket so got only a short and flat doppler trace.
Aerial of this bistatic radar experiment is a 6-element yagi. Receiver is a cheap RTL SDR dongle plotting on laptop screen with HDSDR and Spectrum Lab softwares on Arkhangelsk R1 TV channel carrier frequency. Time stamps on Spectrum Lab strips are UTC + 3 h Finnish local.
Launch Links
Science Video of Rockot-Sentinel liftoff: facebook.com/IFeakingLoveSc … 150278820/
Prior launch info:
Schedule: Oct. 13 Rockot • Sentinel 5p
Launch time: 0927 GMT (5:27 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
A Eurockot Rockot vehicle will launch with the Sentinel 5 Precursor Earth observation satellite for the European Space Agency and the European Commission. Sentinel 5p carries an instrument to measure air quality, ozone, pollution and aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere. Delayed from Oct. 31, early 2017, June, August, Sept. 21 and Oct. 9. [Sept. 21]
spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
earth.esa.int/web/guest/mission … entinel-5P
- Juha -
Antennina on 6-yli-6 vaakajagi suuntaan 100 astetta.
