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QuickBird 1 Kosmos Launch Fails

More Information:

A Kosmos 3M failed in its attempt to launch QuickBird 1 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 2300 UTC (3 p.m. PST) November 20. Signals from the satellite were not picked up as planned by ground stations. The US$60 million satellite was to be owned and operated by EarthWatch Inc., Longmont, Colorado. The launch was reportedly insured for US$230 million.

During the final stage of the satellite's entry into orbit, it was outside the field of Russian tracking stations. However, after entering the tracking stations' reach, the QuickBird satellite did not make contact with Earth. U.S. tracking data indicated the satellite's initial orbit was 81 km x 614 km (44 nmi x 332 nmi) at 65.8 degrees, and now lists the orbit as "decayed". Rosaviakosmos (Russian Aerospace Agency - RAKA) reported that preliminary analysis indicates the second stage of the Kosmos 3M may have shut down too early. Cosmodrome experts have identified three possible scenarios: the thrust value of the second stage engines had been improperly oriented and caused a malfunction in the control system, the engines did not develop sufficient thrust or the nose fairing cone covering the satellite did not separate. A commission headed by the cosmodrome's commander will investigate the situation.

EarthWatch lost its first satellite EarlyBird 1 in 1997, due to a problem with the satellite’s power system. EarthWatch has been working with Ball Aerospace, Kodak, and Fokker Space in the development of the QuickBird family of satellites. QuickBird 1 was to be followed in the middle of 2001 by the launch of QuickBird 2.

QuickBird 1 was planned for orbit a circular 590 km (319 nmi) orbit, inclined at 66 degrees. This inclination was to permit unique imaging times. QuickBird 1 was to collect both one-meter resolution digital black-and-white imagery and four-meter resolution digital color images. These high resolution images were to be taken by the QuickBird instrument, a high resolution camera, during orbital day-time. Digital images taken from orbit were expected to rival aerial photography in terms of both cost and possible economic and scientific applications. The 950 kg (2094 lbm) spacecraft was manufactured by Ball Aerospace and Technologies, Corp., Boulder, Colorado and was based on the Ball Commercial Platform 2000 (BCP 2000) satellite bus.

EarthWatch has been developing a network of satellites to image different regions of the Earth for a variety of commercial applications, including environmental monitoring, land management, mapping, agriscience studies, and disaster monitoring.

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November 21, 2000