Koronas-Foton - a new Russian spacecraft to explore the Sun! Options

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

http://www.newsinfo.ru/news/2008-12-15/sputnik/174938

Russia will launch a new spacecraft to study the Sun - Koronas-Foton (or Coronas-Photon). Launch is scheduled to occur on 29th of jan 2009.

This is supposed to be the last launch of a Tsyklon rocket.

Once launched Koronas-Photon will be placed into a cirtular orbit 500kms above the Earth. Orbital inclination - 82.5 deg.

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

Yes, it is. It's not a typical safe mode, but we have a known technical issue standing behind it, which is quite serious.

I remind you that the expected lifespan of the spacecraft was supposed to be about 3 years.

There's an interesting discussing going at novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru forum. As we already know: We have faulty chemical batteries, but the scientific instruments and the other components are healthy. Standart questions are being asked: Who is the contractor responsible for the batteries? Why did they allow the satellite to fly with such faulty batteries? Who is to blame? After all, a reader says, SOHO was launched in 1996 and still works, it's the same situation with STEREO and HINODE.

There is a possibility, another reader says, that the batteries are OK, but a sensor has faltered.

Another reader offers that a system should be built so we could collect faulty satellites and return them to the Earth Why not on-orbit repair, I should ask

Very, very interesting forum, too bad my spoken Russian isn't fluent