July 30, 1997 Vol. 1 - No. 10 ============================== THE ORBITAL REPORT ON-LINE ============================== Space Executive's Weekly News Digest This issue of Takyon International's latest on-line newsletter was published in cooperation with Launchspace. (www.launchspace.com) OReOL covers space industry news, market trends, and provides the necessary background information for immediate analysis. Please feel free to contact us for any comment. === HEADLINES === * HUGHES SPACE & COMMUNICATIONS, of Los Angeles, California, and TELENOR, of Oslo, Norway, have selected McDONNELL DOUGLAS AEROSPACE for the launch of the THOR 3 direct broadcasting satellite (14Ku) in July 1998. The HS376-type satellite will be lofted to geosynchronous transfer orbit by a DELTA 2-7925 vehicle. * ANALYTICAL GRAPHICS, INC. (AGI), of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is offering the latest version of its SATELLITE TOOL KIT software (STK 4.0) free of charge via its web site at www.stk.com. A free CD- ROM version is also available by calling 1-888-ASK-4STK toll free, +44-181-299 3435 in Europe or +1-610-594-6939 in other countries, or by sending an e-mail to 'ask4stk@stk.com' (no quote). With this operation AGI expects to make its STK software a reference tool for space industry worldwide. === BUSINESS === * EUTELSAT, of Paris, France, has acquired the seven-year-old TDF-2 high-power direct broadcasting satellite (5Ku, 230W each) from FRANCE TELECOM, also of Paris, and is now moving it to 36°E for digital broadcasting services to Russia. TDF-2 is expected to remain operational until early 1999. It will be joined next year by EUTELSAT 2-F2 and the French-Russian-built SESAT. * NASA has exercized a US$66-million option on a contract with LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE MISSION SYSTEMS & SERVICES, of Houston, Texas, for a two-year extension of operations of is STENNIS SPACE CENTER (SSC), in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. * TELESAT CANADA, of Gloucester, Ontario, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the MABUHAY PHILLIPINES SATELLITE CORP. (MPSC), of Manila, Philippines, to provide project management, engineering consulting and Telesat's Flight Dynamics System (FDS) for the AGILA 3 (formerly MABUHAY 2) communications satellite. ******************************************************************** * The latest issue of THE ORBITAL LAUNCHER REPORT (Vol. 3 - No. 9) * * was published on July 18. * * It includes an overview of current and proposed small launchers, * * a comparative review of Arianespace's and ILS's backlogs, * * latest news about expendable/reusable launchers, and much more ! * * * * For subscription information, contact us: orbirep@worldnet.fr * ******************************************************************** === MARKETS === * SEA LAUNCH CO., of Seattle, Washington State, has decided to delay the maiden flight of its ZENIT 3SL vehicle from the ODYSSEY off-shore launch platform from June to October 1998. The payload for this flight will be PanAmSat Corp.'s GALAXY 11. * The INMARSAT 3-F4 mobile communications satellite, launched by an Ariane 4 vehicle on June 3, has entered operational service over the Atlantic Ocean Region West (AOR-W). === TECHNOLOGIES === * ESA has significantly increased its specifications for the acceleration and vibration environment onboard the ARIANE 502 vehicle currently set for launch in late September. AMSAT, which plans to fly its 630-kg PHASE 3D radio amateur payload on this mission is re- evaluating the structural capabilities of the spacecraft. According to AMSAT, the payload cannot be delivered in time for the launch (i.e. before August 10) under the current schedule and would have to be replaced by a mass simulator. ARIANE 502 is also planned to loft two dummy instrumented payloads provided by KAYSER-THREDE, of Munich, Germany, and a technological payload from ESA's ESTEC in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. * SPAR AEROSPACE, of Brampton, Ontario, has shipped the CANADARM 303 to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on July 30. This Space Shuttle remote manipulator has been upgraded to handle heavier pay- loads in preparation for INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) assembly missions. ARM 303 was used to retrieve the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1993 and will fly in November on Columbia to release the SPARTAN 201 platform. * LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE MISSION SYSTEMS & SERVICES, of Houston, Texas, has provided a new SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT SOFTWARE to NASA which will allow future missions to carry more payload to orbit. The latest release (OI-26) will be introduced on DISCOVERY for its next mission on August 7. ******************************************************************** * THE ORBITAL REPORT NEWS AGENCY * * Takyon International's Internet News Service * * provides launch logs and launch schedules, * * as well as back issues of THE ORBITAL REPORT ON-LINE. * * * * URL: www.orbireport.com * ******************************************************************** === PREVIEW === * August 1 An Orbital Sciences PEGASUS XL air-launched vehicle will loft the ORBVIEW 2 (formerly SEASTAR) ocean color obser- vation satellite from Vandenberg AFB, California. * August 4 The merger of BOEING and McDONNELL DOUGLAS is due to be completed. * August 5 Launch of the SOYUZ TM26 spacecraft with a two-man crew to Mir on a SOYUZ U vehicle from Baykonur, Kazakhstan. * August 7 Lockheed Martin's LMLV-1 small launch vehicle is expected to return to flight, lofting the TRW-built LEWIS experimental remote sensing satellite for NASA from Vandenberg AFB, California. * August 7 Space Shuttle DISCOVERY is set for lift-off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, for the 11-day STS-85 mis- sion to release and retrieve the US/German CRISTA-SPAS 2 platform to study the atmosphere. * August 8 An ARIANE 44P vehicle is scheduled to launch the twice- delayed Space Systems/Loral-built PAS-6 communications satellite from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), in Kourou, French Guiana. * Aug.10/12 China Great Wall's CZ-3B ('LONG MARCH 3B') vehicle is due to perform its second flight. The payload is the AGILA 2 (Formerly MABUHAY 1) communications satellite built by Space Systems/Loral for MABUHAY PHILIPPINES SATELLITE CORP. The Orbital Report On-Line is published 3 to 4 times per month by Takyon International (RCS Paris B 401 465 398) 34, boulevard Exelmans, 75016 Paris, France Phone: +33 (0) 607 995 056 - Fax: +33 (0) 467 607 155 E-mail: orbirep@worldnet.net URL: www.orbireport.com Chief Editor: Stefan Barensky Technical Contributor: Samuel Szdat © Takyon International - July 1997 Takyon International also publishes The Orbital Launcher Report, a monthly space transportation newsletter. ------------------- End of issue Vol.1, No.10 ----------------------
Latest News | Archives | OReOL | Previous Issue | Next Issue © Takyon International 1996/97