Meteor-3M No.1 was the first and only of the Meteor-3M series polar-orbiting weather satellites. It was launched on 10 December 2001 at 17:18:57 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.^[3] The satellite is in a Sun-synchronous orbit with an ascending node time of about 9AM.

Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...

Meteor-3M No.1^[1]

Mission type	Weather
Operator	Roscosmos/Roshydromet
COSPAR ID	2001-056A
SATCAT no.	27001
Mission duration	Planned: 3 years In Orbit: 22 years, 3 months and 30 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	VNIIEM
Launch mass	2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb)
Payload mass	800 kilograms (1,800 lb)
Power	800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	10 December 2001, 17:18:57 (2001-12-10UTC17:18:57Z) UTC
Rocket	Zenit-2
Launch site	Baikonur Site 45/1
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	March 2006 (2006-04)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	SSO
Eccentricity	0.00135[2]
Perigee altitude	1,016 kilometres (631 mi)
Apogee altitude	996 kilometres (619 mi)
Inclination	99.64 degrees[2]
Period	105.3 minutes[2]

Close

An APT transmission was planned to only have a reduced resolution (2 km) visible channel data. The status of any APT capability on this satellite was unclear, but it was thought not to have an APT transmitter. No APT transmissions were received from this satellite. SLR mission support began on 1 May 2002.

Secondary mission objective was the flight testing of the novel-type spherical retroreflector for precise laser ranging.

SLR was used for precise orbit determination and retroreflector research.

• SAGE III
• Spherical retroreflector
• Other weather monitoring instruments

The retro-reflector was a glass ball 60 mm in diameter, fastened in a holder providing observation from Earth at elevations of more than 30° (the retroreflector field of view was centered in the Nadir direction). The spherical retro-reflector with its holder was fixed to the Meteor-3M No.1 spacecraft. The expected return signal strength level was between LAGEOS and ETALON.

Meteor-3M No.1 included the SAGE III (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment) payload and other instruments designed to measure temperature and humidity profiles, clouds, surface properties, and high energy particles in the upper atmosphere. SAGE III was a gyrating spectrometer that measured ultraviolet/visible light, which was used to enhance understanding of natural and human-derived atmospheric processes by providing accurate long-term measurements of the vertical structure of aerosols, ozone, water vapor, and other important trace gases in the upper troposphere and stratosphere.

Technical problems affecting the satellite two years after launch left it almost completely disabled. Meteor-3M No.1 functioned until March 2006, after which it was decommissioned.^[3] Meteor-M No.1, a replacement satellite, was launched on 17 September 2009.^[4]

• Meteor