October 23, 1997 Vol. 1 - No. 16 ============================== 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 === * Brazil's CTA/IAE is about to test-fly its VLS-1 launch vehicle from the ALCANTARA LAUNCH CENTER (CLA), in Maranhao province, in the next few days 'before November 10' according to officials from AEB, the Brazilian space agency. The payload will be the 150-kg SCD-2A satellite, a refurbished engineering model of the SCD-2 data collection satellite. * An Orbital Sciences PEGASUS XL vehicle successfully lofted US AIR FORCE's STEP-M4 (P95-1) experimental satellite into orbit on October 22. The 403-kg TRW-built satellite carries three experiments to study ozone and water vapour in the middle atmosphere, RF links propagation through the ionosphere and radiation levels in the ionosphere. * The third Chinese CZ-3B "LONG MARCH" vehicle lifted off from Xichang Satellite Space Center (XSLC) and successfully lofted the APSTAR 2R communications satellite (28C/16Ku) to its targeted supersynchronous transfer orbit on October 16. Built by SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, of Palo Alto, California, for APT SATELLITE CO., of Hongkong, China, it will be located at 77°E to provide communications and broadcasting services from the Middle East and Eastern Africa to the Asia-Pacific region. * The 2,500-kg recoverable capsule of the FOTON 11 microgravity research satellite was recovered near the city of Kustanay, Kazakhstan, on October 23, at the end of a 14-day flight. The 154-kg MIRKA capsule, built by Kayser-Threde, of Munich, Germany, was successfully released shortly before reentry and landed separately in Russia. **************************** ADVERTISEMENT **************************** * The Fifth Annual Silicon Valley Technology Partnering Conference: * * * * "Cyberspace to Outerspace" * * * * introduces this generation's vanguard of CEO industry visionaries * * who represent today's ideal entrepreneur, and illustrate tomorrow's * * extraordinary new business opportunities in information and space * * commerce technologies. The conference will clearly demonstrate the * * potential of unique new industry alliances, public/private partner- * * ships as well as specific technology and product matches. Look for * * representatives from industry leading companies such as Lockheed * * Martin, AT&T, Hughes, Oracle, Cisco Systems, Boeing, FedEx, Space * * Systems Loral and others. * * * * The event takes place on November 13 and 14, 1997, at the San Jose * * Fairmont Hotel and the new San Jose Repertory Theater. The keynote * * speaker is Vice President Al Gore and the recipient of the Annual * * DSC David Packard Award is Mr. Dan Tellep, first Chair and CEO of * * Lockheed Martin Corporation. * * * * For agenda, schedule or registration information please contact the * * Defense/Space Consortium at (408) 292-1194 x15 or www.svdsc.org * **************************** ADVERTISEMENT **************************** To advertise in OReOL: orbirep@worldnet.fr or josh@newspace.com === MARKETS === * The US FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) has signed a protocol with the Government of MEXICO to allow US and Mexican satellites to provide cross-border FIXED SATELLITE SERVICES (FSS) in C, Ku and Ka-bands into both countries. === TECHNOLOGIES === * NASA has postponed the launch of the Lockheed Martin-built LUNAR PROSPECTOR probe from November 23 to January 6 to allow final check of the Lockheed Martin ATHENA 2 launch vehicle. * NASA and CONAE, the Argentinean space agency, have signed a MoU for the launch of two SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS SATELLITES (SAC). The SAC-C remote sensing satellite is due to be lofted in May 1999 on a Delta 2-7320 rocket together with NASA's EO-1 experimental Earth observation satellite. SAC-A, a technological payload, will be launched from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay in July 1998 during the STS-88 mission. * NASA has selected the 5th and 6th missions to be conducted on behalf of its DISCOVERY program for low-cost interplanetary probes. The US$216-million GENESIS spacecraft will be launched in January 2001 to collect solar wind particles and return them to Earth in August 2003. The US$154-million COMET NUCLEUS TOUR (CONTOUR) mission will be launched in July 2002 to flyby comets P/Encke in November 2003, P/Schwassmann-Wachmann-3 in June 2006 and P/d'Arrest in August 2008. * NASA has selected two missions to be conducted on behalf of its SMALL EXPLORER (SMEX) program for small science satellites. The US$67-million HIGH ENERGY SOLAR SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGER (HESSI) is scheduled for launch in 2000 to study particle acceleration and energy release in solar flares. The US$65-million GALAXY EVOLUTION EXPLORER (GALEX) will follow in 2001 to study the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and heavy elements. The US$66-million BROADBAND OBSERVATORY FOR LOCALIZATION OF TRANSIENTS (BOLT) mission to pinpoint locations of gamma ray bursts was also selected as backup mission in case either HESSI or GALEX gets out of budget or of schedule. * The US ARMY conducted a LASER TEST against the MSTI-3 technological satellite on October 20 using the MID INFRARED ADVANCED CHEMICAL LASER (MIRACL) based in White Sands, New Mexico. The satellite was not damaged. **************************** ADVERTISEMENT **************************** * 32nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly and Associated Events * * 40th Anniversary 12 - 19 July 1998 in Nagoya, Japan * * * * About 80 meetings and symposia covering the following areas * * * * - The Earth's Surface, Meteorology, and Climate * * - The Earth-Moon System, Planets, Small Bodies of the Solar System * * - The Upper Atmospheres of the Earth and Planets * * - Space Plasmas in the Solar System, incl. Planetary Magnetospheres * * - Research in Astrophysics * * - Life Sciences as Related to Space * * - Materials Sciences in Space * * - Fundamental Physics in Space * * - Satellite Dynamics * * - Scientific Ballooning * * - Space Borne Geophysical Data for Global Change Studies * * - Science and Engineering Aspects of Solar System Exploration * * * * COSPAR Secretariat, 51 bd de Montmorency, 75016 Paris, France * * COSPAR@paris7.jussieu.fr / www.mpae.gwdg.de/COSPAR/COSPAR.html * **************************** ADVERTISEMENT **************************** To advertise in OReOL: orbirep@worldnet.fr or josh@newspace.com === ERRATUM === * In our last issue we reported that the next ZENIT 2 vehicle was expected to loft the OKEAN O-N1 satellite, together with four piggyback and one attached auxiliary payloads. Actually, the primary payload will be the RESURS O2-N1 remote sensing satellite, built by VNIIEM, of Moscow, Russia, for NPO PLANETA, of Dogoprudni, Russia. === PREVIEW === * October 23 A Lockheed Martin TITAN 403A heavy-lift launcher is planned to lift off from Vandenberg AFB, California, possibly carrying a LACROSSE military radar observation satellite for the US NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO). * October 24 SINO SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS CORP., of Shanghai, China, will take delivery of its SINOSAT 1 communications satellite at AEROSPATIALE's satellites manufacturing plant in Cannes, France. Launch is planned in January 1998 atop a CZ-3B vehicle. * October 24 A Lockheed Martin ATLAS 2A vehicle (AC-131), with an IABS upper stage, will loft a US Air Force DSCS-3 military communication satellite directly into geostationary orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A US Air Force Academy FALCONSAT payload will piggyback on the vehicle. * October 27 Beginning of the delayed X-33 CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW (CDR). * October 30 The second ARIANE 5 vehicle (L502) is due to lift off from Kourou, French Guiana, for a qualification test- flight (V101) on behalf of the EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY and CNES, the French space agency. The vehicle will loft two dummy instrumented payloads, MAQSAT-H and MAQSAT-B, as well as the TEAMSAT technological package to geostationary transfer orbit. * November 1 A Lockheed Martin TITAN 401A/CENTAUR heavy-lift launcher is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, possibly carrying a TRUMPET signal intelligence satellite for the US AIRFORCE and the US NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA). * November 6 A Boeing DELTA 2-7925 vehicle is planned to launch the last Boeing-built NAVSTAR Block 2A satellite for US AIR FORCE's GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) constellation. * November 7 An ARIANE 44L-3 (V102) is due to loft the SIRIUS 2 and CAKRAWARTA 1 direct broadcasting satellites for NSAB, of Sweden, and PT DATAKOM, of Indonesia, respectively. * November 7 The government of MEXICO will select one of the three bidding US/Mexican consortia to take over up to 75% of SATMEX, the national communications satellites operator. 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 - October 1997 Takyon International and Launchspace Publications also publish The International Space Industry Report (ISIR), a biweekly newsletter on space business and technology ------------------- End of issue Vol.1, No.16 ----------------------
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