China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLong March 2C/SMLaunch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Tan Ce 1
Launched
December 29, 2003
Image: CNSA/People's Daily Online
Summary
Tan Ce 1 launched on a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2C/SM from Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on December 29, 2003. It was China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 20th launch, 7th this year and humanity's 4,639th orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Long March 2C/SM flight. The payload was bound for Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical). The tracked orbit of Tan Ce 1, one of 3 catalogued objects, from January 5, 2004, was 567 × 78,955 km inclined 28.2°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)
- Milestone
- 1st Long March 2C/SM flightChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 20th launch7th this yearhumanity's 4,639th orbital launch attempt63rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Tan Ce 1 · NORAD 28140 · 2003-061 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- OBJECT A
- Object ID
- 2003-061A
- Epoch
- 2004-01-05 14:28:01 UTC
- Mean motion
- 0.8761959 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.8496044
- Inclination
- 28.2307°
- Ascending node
- 23.1884°
- Arg. of perigee
- 122.7498°
- Mean anomaly
- 344.4261°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 91
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Elliptical. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 1 component; 1 still in orbit
- Tan Ce 1 · NORAD 28140 · re-entered October 14, 2007
SM Y1 · re-entered October 14, 2007
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The Double Star spacecraft, called also Tan Ce (TC) which in Chinese means ‘Probe‘, is a joint Chinese and ESA mission to study the effect of the Sun on the Earth's environment. The polar spacecraft (TC-2) will monitor the energy input from the solar wind into the polar ionosphere. The equatorial spacecraft (TC-1) will investigate the so-called substorm process, when it is in the Earth's magnetotail, and the entry of solar particle on the front side of the magnetosphere.
Pad
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
14th launch from Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), 1st this year · 34th from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
108 launches from this pad · 242 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
about 4 years after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Tan Ce 1 launch?
Tan Ce 1 launched on December 29, 2003. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Tan Ce 1?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Tan Ce 1?
Long March 2C/SM, flown by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Long March 2C/SM spec sheet
Where did Tan Ce 1 launch from?
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
What orbit did Tan Ce 1 reach?
The tracked orbit of Tan Ce 1, one of 3 catalogued objects, from January 5, 2004, was 567 × 78,955 km inclined 28.2°.
How many satellites did Tan Ce 1 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).