27001 - METEOR-3M

METEOR-3M is a Russian environment/atmosphere monitoring meteorological satellite that was launched by a Zenit rocket from Baikonur at 17:19 UT on 2001 December 10. The initial orbital parameters were period 105 min, apogee 1016 km, perigee 996 km, and inclination 99.7 deg.

Meteor-3M is a joint Russian-US environment/atmosphere monitoring meteorological satellite. The spacecraft is an advanced model of the Meteor spacecraft that was developed in the 1970s. The payload consists of the NASA SAGE III and other instruments designed to measure temperature and humidity profiles, clouds, surface properties, and high-energy particles in the upper atmosphere.

The satellite is in a sun-synchronous orbit with an ascending node time of about 9 a.m. The orbit yields solar measurement opportunities between 50-80 degrees north latitude and 30-50 degrees south latitude. The high northern latitude coverage provides insight into the processes leading to ozone depletion during boreal winter and provides coverage that complements the mid- and low-latitude coverage provided by SAGE II and other SAGE III missions.

Alternate Names

SAGE III/Meteor 3M

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2001-12-10
Launch Vehicle: Zenit
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan