December 28, 1997 Final Issue ============================== THE ORBITAL REPORT ON-LINE ============================== Space Executive's 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 === * The Hughes-built ASIASAT 3 communications satellite (28C, 16Ku) was lost in space on December 25 due to the failure of the BLOCK DM3 upper stage of its PROTON K vehicle. The launch, conducted on behalf of INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH SERVICES (ILS), of San Diego, California, occurred at 23:19 UT on December 24 and all three stages of the GKNPTs Khrunichev-built Proton K vehicle performed flawlessly. About 6 hours and 20 minutes after liftoff, the BLOCK DM3 upper stage, built by RKK ENERGIYA, of Korolev, Russia, failed one second into its 110-sec. second burn. The 3,480-kg spacecraft thus separated in a highly inclined transfer orbit with a low perigee and is expected to reenter shortly. Total cost of the mission is estimated at US$270 million. ASIA SATELLITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO. LTD. (ASIASAT), of Hong Kong, China, had ordered the HS-601HP satellite from HUGHES SPACE & COMMUNICATIONS, of El Segundo, California, in February 1996. ASIASAT was already negotiating with HUGHES for the procurement of a fourth satellite. The insurance claim for ASIASAT 3 will probably help fund this replacement spacecraft. Next Proton launches were due to loft a triplet of URAGAN satellites for the Russian GLONASS global positioning system and a GORIZONT geostationary communication satellite for PO KOSMICHESKAYA SVIAZ (PO- KS) of Korolev, Russia. Next commercial launch was due on January 30 with a Block DM3 stage to loft another Hughes HS-601HP, the ASTRA 2A direct broadcasting satellite for SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES (SES), of Betzdorf, Luxembourg. Eight more commercial flights were planned to follow in 1998 on behalf of ILS. RKK Energiya's BLOCK DM3 stage is a commercial version of the BLOCK DM-2 used for Russian spacecraft and adapted to Hughes satellites. This stage is very similar to the BLOCK DM intended to serve as third stage of SEA LAUNCH's ZENIT 3SL vehicle and the failure investigation may induce further delays in the introduction of this launcher. Standard two-stage ZENIT 2 vehicles have not resumed flights yet following a launch failure on May 20, 1997. * TRW INC., of Redondo Beach, California, officially announced on December 17 the cancellation of its proposed 12-satellite ODYSSEY mobile telephony system. TRW, teaming with TELEGLOBE, of Montreal, Canada, was not able to raise sufficient funding to start the US$3.2-billion project and was about to loose its operating license from the US FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC). Under TRW's new plans, the company will acquire 7% of ICO GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, of London, Great-Britain, which plans to deploy a similar US$4.2-million system, based on 12 satellites provided by HUGHES SPACE & COMMUNICATIONS, of El Segundo, California, in 1998 and 1999. An agreement between TRW and ICO has been signed to exchange technical patents and stop current lawsuits regarding these patents. TRW will also receive some ICO distribution rights in the US. For legal and tax purposes TRW will invest US$50 million in ICO and ICO will re-pay TRW US$25 million at closing and another US$25 million by mid 1999. === RECENT LAUNCHES === * A START 1 vehicle was successfully launched from Svobodniy, Amur oblast, Eastern Siberia, on December 24. The converted RS-12M 'Topol' (SS-25 'Sickle') solid-fuelled ICBM, operated by NTTs KOMPLEKS, of Moscow, Russia, lofted the EARLYBIRD 1 commercial remote sensing satellite on behalf of EARTHWATCH INC., of Longmont, Colorado. The 317-kg satellite, built by CTA SPACE SYSTEMSn (now merged into ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP.), of McLean, Virginia, will provide 3-m resolution panchromatic and 15-m multispectral imagery. * An Orbital Sciences PEGASUS XL vehicle with an HAPS upper stage was released from the belly of the 'Stargazer' carrier aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean off Wallops Island, Virginia, on December 23. The vehicle's payload was a cluster of 8 ORBCOMM messaging satellites for ORBITAL COMMUNICATIONS CORP., of Dulles, Virginia. The launch has been delayed several times since mid November and a first attempt, on December 11, had to be scrubbed following cancellation of a launch license previously awarded to ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. (OSC), of Dulles, Virginia, by the US Federal Aviation Administration's OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION because of safety issues regarding the HAPS stage. The last HAPS was launched on May 19, 1994, and later exploded in orbit, creating about 800 tracked debris. The 43-kg ORBCOMM satellites are due to enter operational service by late March. Eighteen more satellites are planned for launch in 1998, two on a Taurus vehicle and two 8-satellite clusters on Pegasus XL vehicles. * ARIANESPACE successfully conducted its 11th launch of the year on December 22, from Kourou, French Guiana. An ARIANE 42L-3 (V104) released the Lockheed Martin-built INTELSAT 804 communications satellite (38C, 6Ku) on a geostationary transfer orbit. The 3,455-kg LM-7000-type satellite will later be located at 64°E to provide coverage over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). With the launch of the second ARIANE 5 prototype on behalf of ESA and CNES, this was the 12th successful Ariane launch this year. * A Boeing DELTA 2-7920 vehicle lofted a cluster of 5 IRIDIUM satellites for mobile telephony from Vandenberg AFB, California, on December 20. After this launch, 46 satellites of the IRIDIUM constellation are in orbit. At least two of them have already failed. IRIDIUM LLC, of Washington, DC, plans to initiate service in late September 1998, with 66 operational satellites. * A TsSKB-Progress SOYUZ U vehicle was launched from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, on December 20, to loft the PROGRESS M37 cargo spacecraft to the MIR space station. The 7,195-kg spacecraft, carrying 2,500 kg of supplies, docked with the station on December 22. * The 72-kg INSPEKTOR sub-satellite failed shortly after deployment from the PROGRESS M36 cargo spacecraft leaving the MIR space station on December 17. The US$15-million spacecraft, built by DAIMLER-BENZ AEROSPACE (DASA), of Bremen, Germany, was intended to maneuver around the station for a 30-hour external inspection mission. Unfortunately, due to a faulty attitude sensor, the INSPEKTOR pointed its camera in the wrong direction and could not image the station. * A TsSKB-Progress SOYUZ-U vehicle was launched from Plesetsk, Northern Russia, on December 15, lofting KOSMOS 2348, apparently a 6,700-kg military observation satellite of the KOBALT series, also built by TsSKB-PROGRESS, of Samara, Russia. * A NPO Yuzhnoe TSYKLON-M vehicle was launched from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, on December 9, lofting KOSMOS 2347, a 3,150-kg ELECTRONIC INTELLIGENCE OCEAN RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE (EORSAT) built by TsNPO KOMETA, of Moscow, Russia, and KB ARSENAL, of Sankt Petersburg, Russia. * A Lockheed Martin ATLAS 2AS vehicle (AC-149) was successfully launched on December 8 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the 3,548-kg Hughes-built GALAXY 8I communications satellite (32Ku) for PANAMSAT CORP., of Greenwich, Connecticut. The HS-601HP-type spacecraft entered a supersynchronous transfer orbit with a 50,600-km apogee. After circularization, it will replace GALAXY 3R at 95°W to provide direct broadcasting services over Latin America. Total cost of the mission is valued at about US$250 million. * The second CZ-2-3 'LONG MARCH 2-3' vehicle was launched from Taiyuan, Shaanxi province, China, on December 8. It lofted a pair of IRIDIUM mobile telephony satellites into a low Earth parking orbit using a SMART DISPENSER (SD) upper stage. * A GKNPTs Khrunichev PROTON K/DM3 vehicle was launched from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, on December 2, lofting the 3,385-kg Hughes-built ASTRA 1G direct broadcasting satellite (32Ku through 2002, 28Ku thereafter) to a geostationary transfer orbit with a 10,211-km perigee on behalf of SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES (SES), of Betzdorf, Luxembourg. * ARIANESPACE, of Evry, France, launched an ARIANE 44P-3 vehicle (V103) from Kourou on December 2. Its payload was composed of the 2,982-kg Hughes-built JC-SAT 5 communications satellite (32Ku), for JAPAN SATELLITE SYSTEMS INC. CORP. (JSS), of Tokyo, Japan, and the 230-kg EQUATOR-S solar sciences satellite built by MAX PLANCK INSTITUT FUR EXTRATERRISTRIK (MPE-GARCHING), in Garching, Germany. === CONTRACTS === * The US AIR FORCE's ICBM SYSTEM PROGRAM OFFICE, of Hill AFB, Utah, has selected a team led by TRW STRATEGIC SYSTEMS DIVISION, of San Bernardino, California, to sustain the US Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles forces. The initial ICBM PRIME INTEGRATION CONTRACT is worth US$84.94 million and runs from February 2 to September 30, 1998. It includes 14 one-year options through 2012 and is potentially worth about US$3.4 billion. TRW's industrial partners are THIOKOL CORP., of Ogden, Utah; UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP.'s CHEMICAL SYSTEMS DIVISION (UTC-CSD), of San Jose, California; BOEING GUIDANCE, NAVIGATION & SENSORS, of Anaheim, California; LOCKHEED MARTIN FEDERAL SYSTEMS, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; BDM INTERNATIONAL, of Fairfax, Virginia; and MRJ TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, of McLean, Virginia. The loosing bidder was a team led by ALLIANT TECHSYSTEMS, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and including BOEING, LOGICON, TEXTRON SYSTEMS and DRAPER LABORATORY. * The INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE ORGANIZATION (INTELSAT), in Washington, DC, has exercized two options on an existing contract with SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL (SS/L), of Palo Alto, California, for the procurement of two additional INTELSAT 9 satellites based on SS/L's FS-1300HL bus. ALCATEL ESPACE, of Nanterre, France, will provide the payloads (44C, 12Ku). Moreover, INTELSAT has contracted with ARIANESPACE, of Evry, France, for three launches on ARIANE 5 vehicles to loft the INTELSAT 902, 903 and 904 satellites (4,300 to 4,800 kg each). The launches are expected in late 2000, mid 2001 and late 2001. * AMERICAN MOBILE SATELLITE CORP. (AMSC), of Reston, Virginia, has leased its AMSC-1 geostationary mobile communications satellite to AFRICAN CONTINENTAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS LTD. (ACTEL), of Gibraltar, for US$182 million through 2003. ACTEL plans to move the satellite over Africa next summer. * The US OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH, in Arlington, Virginia, has awarded a contract worth up to US$128.9 million to SPACE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORP., of Arlington, Virginia, for the development of a dual use HYPERSPECTRAL SATELLITE to be launched in 2000. * The EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) and the ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY (ASI) have signed on December 12 the agreement regarding the manufacturing of the NODE 2 and NODE 3 modules of the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) under the responsibility of ALENIA SPAZIO, of Rome, Italy. Total value of the work is ECU115 million (US$128 million). NODE 2 is currently due for launch in April 2001. * NASA has exercized two options worth an estimated US$113-million on the Medium Expendable Launch Vehicle Services (MELVS) contract it had signed with McDONNELL DOUGLAS AEROSPACE CORP. (MDAC, now BOEING EXPENDABLE LAUNCH SYSTEMS), of Huntington Beach, California, in November 1989. BOEING will provide launch services aboard DELTA 2 vehicles for NASA's GRAVITY PROBE-B (GP-B) in Early 2000 and for a composite payload consisting of the NASA/CNES JASON 1 altimetry satellite and NASA's own THERMOSPHERE-IONOSPHERE-MESOSPHERE ENERGETICS & DYNAMICS (TIMED) spacecraft in May 2000. The MELVS contract still includes two more options. * NASA has awarded a US$92-million contract to the JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY (JHU-APL) for the design and development of the THERMOSPHERE-IONOSPHERE-MESOSPHERE ENERGETICS & DYNAMICS (TIMED) spacecraft due for launch atop a Delta 2 vehicle in May 2000. * AEROSPATIALE ESPACE & DEFENSE, of Paris, France, was officially awarded a contract estimated worth about FF500 million (US$85 million) for the manufacturing of the HISPASAT 1C communications satellite (24Ku) for HISPASAT SA, of Madrid, Spain. To launch this Spacebus 3000 spacecraft in late 1999, HISPASAT has selected INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH SERVICE (ILS), of San Diego, California. The vehicle will be a GKNPTs Khrunichev PROTON K. * ARIANESPACE was awarded a new firm launch contract by an UNDISCLOSED US OPERATOR for a 2-t class communications satellite apparently built in Europe. Launch is planned in 1998. * NASA has awarded a US$42.86-million to SPACEHAB INC., of Vienna, Virginia, to provide SPACEHAB modules for three shuttle missions with a US$15.8-million option for a fourth one. The EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA), Japan's NATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NASDA) and the CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY (CSA) will provide US$18.86-million of additional funding to the contract. The modules will fly on STS-95 in October 1998 (single module), STS-96 in December 1998 (double module for logistic supply to the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION), and STS-107 in May 2000 (double module). SPACEHAB INC. estimates it can sell available room inside the modules to commercial customers for an additional US$22 million. * CANADA's MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY has awarded a series of contracts, worth a total of more than C$65 million (US$45 million), to five Canadian aerospace companies to develop innovative satellite communications technologies. CAL CORP., of Ottawa, Ontario, will receive C$2 million (US$1.4 million) to develop intersatellite communications. COM DEV INTERNATIONAL, of Cambridge, Ontario, will study payload subsystems for multimedia applications for C$9.2 million (US$6.4 million). NORTHERN TELECOM (NORTEL), of Ottawa, Ontario, was awarded a C$12.3-million (US$8.6-million) contract to develop low-cost terminals for broadband satellite communications. SPAR AEROSPACE LTD., of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, will develop advanced satellite payload technologies under a C$16.2-million (US$11.3-million) contract. A C$7.8-million (US$5.4-million) contract was awarded to TELESAT CANADA, of Gloucester, Ontario, to support advanced satellite communications technologies. * The INDIAN DEPARTMENT OF SPACE (DOS) has bought the almost 6-year old ARABSAT 1C communications satellite (25C, 2S) for US$40 million from the 21-nation ARAB SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS ORGANISATION (ASCO), of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to replace its failed INSAT 2D. ARABSAT 1C is a SPACEBUS 1000 spacecraft (1,310 kg at launch) built by AEROSPATIALE ESPACE & DEFENSE in its Cannes facility, on the French Riviera. It was launched by an ARIANE 4 vehicle in February 1992 and is expected to remain operational through 1999. * ESA has awarded a FF210-million (US$35-million) contract to MATRA MARCONI SPACE, of Velizy, France, for the development of the BIOLAB laboratory which will be fitted into the COLUMBUS ORBITAL FACILITY (COF), the European module of the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS). * DLR, the German space agency, has awarded a contract worth more than DM30-million (US$17-million) to DORNIER SATELLITENSYSTEME (DSS), of Friedrichshafen, Germany, to develop and manufacture hardware for the SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION (SRTM) now planned in September 1999 (STS-101). * NASA's JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, of Pasadena, California, has awarded a US$8.3-million contract to ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. (OSC), of Dulles, Virginia, to build and test the ACTIVE CAVITY RADIOMETER IRRADIANCE MONITOR SATELLITE (ACRIMSAT) for solar observation. The satellite, to be based on OSC's MINISTAR bus, is planned for launch in 1999, possibly on a PEGASUS XL vehicle. * ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. (OSC), of Dulles, Virginia, has awarded a contract to MARSHALL AEROSPACE, of Cambridge, Great-Britain, to modify the 'STARGAZER' carrier aircraft, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar used for PEGASUS launches, for the launches of NASA's X-34 hypersonic demonstrator. * NASA's GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (GSFC), in Greenbelt, Maryland, plans to acquire elements for 20 BLACK BRANT suborbital vehicles from BRISTOL AEROSPACE LTD. (BAL), of Winnipeg, Manitoba. === MERGERS === * The governments of FRANCE, GREAT-BRITAIN and GERMANY, have asked AEROSPATIALE, of Paris, France, BRITISH AEROSPACE (BAe), of Farnborough, Great-Britain, and DAIMLER-BENZ AEROSPACE (DASA), of Munich, Germany, to define a roadmap for the consolidation of their aerospace activities into a single entity, tentatively designated 'AIRBUS PLUS'. Space activities from BAe have been sold to MATRA MARCONI SPACE (MMS), of Velizy, France, in 1994. DASA is currently planning the merger of its space business with MMS whilst AEROSPATIALE's Satellites Division will be merged with ALCATEL ESPACE by mid 1998. Thus, only AEROSPATIALE's space transportation business (ARIANE launchers and ATV unmanned cargo spacecraft) might be included in the AIRBUS PLUS project. * UNITED VIDEO SATELLITE GROUP, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 40% subsidiary of TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC. (TCI), of Englewood, Colorado, is about to take a 42% stake in KaSTAR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS, of Colorado, one of the 15 US companies licensed by the US FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) to build and operate a Ka-band broadband communications system. KaSTAR is negotiating with LOCKHEED MARTIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS, of Sunnyvale, California, for the procurement of two LADYBUG satellites with a first launch in 2001 on an Ariane vehicle. * SPACEDEV, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has acquired INTEGRATED SPACE SYSTEMS (ISS), of San Diego, California. === MARKETS === * The governments of FRANCE, GERMANY and GREAT-BRITAIN have signed a MoU for the joint development of the TRIMILSAT military communications satellite system. * MATRA MARCONI SPACE, of Velizy, France, and DIGIMED, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CYPRUS TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY (CYTA), have incorporated a joint-venture, EURO AFRICAN SATELLITE TELECOMMUNICATION (EAST) in Great-Britain, on December 5. EAST is intended to set up a US$800-million geostationary satellite system to provide mobile (L-band) and fixed (Ku-band) communication services (telephony and data transfer) over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. ABB NERA, of Norway, is also participating in the program. Launch of the 4,500-kg EAST satellite is planned in 2001. * INTELSAT, of Washington, DC, and COLUMBIA COMMUNICATIONS CORP., of Honolulu, Hawaii, have settled a dispute over the use of close geostationary orbital slots. COLUMBIA will drop use of transponders onboard NASA's TDRS-4 at 41°W on May 15, 1998, and transfer traffic to INTELSAT 515 (to be renamed as COLUMBIA 515) at 37.5°W to free frequencies for the' INTELSAT 806 satellite to be located at 40.5°W. * SEP of Suresnes, France (a division of SNECMA, of Paris, France), is discussing a possible alliance with DAIMLER-BENZ AEROSPACE (DASA), of Bremen, Germany, for the joint development of a 'smart' storable propellant to upgrade the ARIANE 5E design. Cost of this proposed development is estimated at about FF2 billion (US$350 million), to be equally shared between ESA, Arianespace and industry. SEP is currently developing the 100-kN class MS-100 engine for such applications. DASA's AESTUS-2, under development with Boeing's ROCKETDYNE DIVISION, of Canoga Park, California, is considered not powerful enough for this new stage. * MOTOROLA INC., of Chandler, Arizona, is studying the possible acquisition of 20 ROKOT launchers to maintain the IRIDIUM constellation. ROKOT vehicles are marketed by EUROCKOT LAUNCH SERVICES GmbH, of Bremen, Germany, a joint-venture of DAIMLER-BENZ AEROSPACE, of Bremen, Germany, and GKNPTs KHRUNICHEV, of Moscow, Russia, which builds the vehicles. The ROKOT vehicle could carry pairs of 689-kg IRIDIUM satellites to their low initial parking orbit. * The US DEPARTMENT OF STATE has cleared THIOKOL CORPORATION's PROPULSION GROUP, of Brigham City, Utah, for the export of two CASTOR 4B solid motors to Spain. The motors will be used as first stage for the 3-stage CAPRICORNIO launch vehicle under development by SPAIN's NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES (INTA), of Torrejon de Ardoz, near Madrid. Two prototype vehicles are planned for launch in 2000 and 2001 from Canary Islands. Later CAPRICORNIO vehicles could be marketed in the US on behalf of ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE, of Teterboro, New Jersey. * AUSTRALIA's federal government has approved a legislation to set up a framework for commercial launch activities in the country. Four commercial spaceports are currently under study in WOOMERA, South Australia; GUN POINT, Northern Territories; CAPE YORK, Queensland; and GLADSTONE, Queensland. === TECHNOLOGIES === * NASA's GALILEO spacecraft completed its primary mission in orbit around JUPITER on December 7. A US$30-million extension has been decided to allow 8 more flybys of Jupiter's icy moon EUROPA through late 1999. A first pass, at a distance of only 200 km was performed on December 16. More flybys of Callisto and Io are also planned. * TRW SPACE & ELECTRONICS GROUP, of Redondo Beach, California, has announced it will not be able to deliver NASA's ADVANCED X-RAY ASTRO- PHYSICS FACILITY (AXAF) spacecraft on June 1 as planned due to difficulty with an integrated test system. Impact of the delay has not been assessed yet. The 5,200-kg US$1.4-million X-ray observatory was scheduled for launch in August by Space Shuttle COLUMBIA using a two- stage IUS-2 to reach its final 10,000 x 140,000 km orbit. * NASA's OFFICE OF SPACE SCIENCE (OSS), has released a research announcement for the selection of science instruments to be carried on the MARS SURVEYOR 2003 and 2005 landers. * THE JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY's APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY (APL), of Laurel, Maryland, has been selected to conduct the US$3-million study of a SOLAR TERRESTRIAL RELATIONS OBSERVATORY (STEREO) multi-instrument platform intended to provide 3D images of solar coronal mass ejections. The design and development phase is planned to begin by mid 1998. Two spacecraft will be launched in 2003 under a US$120-million mission, the third of NASA's SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PROBES. * The US$3-million AERCAM/SPRINT free floating camera was eventually tested in Space Shuttle COLUMBIA's cargo bay on December 3. The 16-kg camera, to be later used for inspection of the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS), performed flawlessly. * NASA's MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC), in Huntsville, Alabama, has been selected to provide water and oxygen recycling systems for the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. An experimental system will be tested during a shuttle mission in 2000, prior to the delivery of the operational system in 2002. * A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries LE-5B prototype cryogenic engine caught fire during a ground test on December 1. The LE-5B is due to power the upper stage of Japan's H-2A vehicle. * The FASTRAC engine, developed by NASA's MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC), in Huntsville, Alabama, for the X-34 hypersonic demonstrator and the BANTAM low-cost small launch vehicle, has successfully completed engine component tests at MSFC. Complete engine assembly will be test-fired in early 1998 at NASA's STENNIS SPACE CENTER (SSC), in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. * NASA's MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC), in Huntsville, Alabama, prepares to issue a Request for Offer (RFO) for a study to assess manufacturing of low-cost LARGE CORE VEHICLES structures using ship- building methods. * NASA has selected 101 projects for negotiation of contracts under the SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) Program. Total value of the contracts could amount to US$59 million. === PREVIEW === * January 6 Lockheed Martin's ATHENA 2 vehicle (formerly LMLV-2) is expected to perform its maiden flight, boosting NASA's LUNAR PROSPECTOR probe to the Moon from SPACEPORT FLORIDA's LC-46 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. * January 6 RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS Anatoly Solovyev and Pavel Vinogradov will perform an extravehicular activity (EVA) on the space station MIR to repair the hatch of the KVANT 2 module. * January 9 A Boeing DELTA 2-7925 vehicle is planned to boost the SKYNET 4D military communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on behalf of the BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE. * January 13-14 NASA's MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC), in Huntsville, Alabama, will host conference to discuss requirements for and the processes required to develop a low-cost launch system (US$1.5 million recurring cost) for small payloads (about 150 kg) on behalf of NASA's Advanced Space Transportation Program Office. * Mid January Japan's NATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NASDA) is expected to launch its sixth H-2 vehicle (5F) to loft the NEC-built COMMUNICATIONS & BROADCASTING ENGINEERING TESTS SATELLITE (COMETS) to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch is due during a period which lasts through late February. * January 23 NASA's Space Shuttle ENDEAVOUR is due to lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, for the 8th shuttle mission to Russia's MIR space station. The flight was initially planned on January 15, but had to be delayed after the orbiter vehicle's payload bay doors were damaged in an accident on December 6. * January 23 An Orbital Sciences' PEGASUS XL air-launched rocket is expected to be released over the Pacific Ocean and boost a dual payload composed of the University of Colorado's STUDENT NITRIC OXIDE EXPERIMENT (SNOE) spacecraft, built on behalf of the STUDENT EXPERIMENT DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (STEDI) program, and Texas Space Grant Consortium's BATSAT small technology satellite. * January 25 A Chinese CZ-3B 'LONG MARCH 3B' vehicle is planned to liftoff from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), in Sichuan, China, to loft the Aerospatiale-built SINOSAT 1 communications satellite for SINO SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS CO., of Shanghai, China. * January 26 Orbital Sciences' second TAURUS vehicle is scheduled for liftoff from Vandenberg AFB, California, to carry into orbit US NAVY's GEOSAT FOLLOW-ON (GFO) oceanography spacecraft together with a pair of ORBCOMM messaging satellites for OSC's ORBCOMM subsidiary and a canister containing human remains for CELESTIS, of Houston, Texas. * January 26 A Lockheed Martin ATLAS 2A vehicle is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying a classified experimental payload for US NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO), of Chantilly, Virginia. * January 27 ARIANESPACE's first mission of the year (V105) will use an ARIANE 44L-3 to loft the Lockheed Martin-built INMARSAT 3-F5 mobile communications satellite and the Hughes-built BRASILSAT B3-A communications satellite on behalf of INMARSAT, of London, Great-Britain, and EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE TELECOMUNICACOES SA (EMBRATEL), of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, respectively. * January 29 A TsSKB-Progress SOYUZ U launcher is planned for launch from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, to loft the SOYUZ TM27 manned spacecraft to low Earth orbit. The RKK Energiya-built ferry will dock with MIR two days later. SOYUZ TM27 carries French 'spationaut' Leopold Eyharts for the CASSIOPEE joint French-Russian mission. * January 30 ESA's council is expected to approve the final development of the METOP series of operational polar orbiting meteorological satellites in partnership with EUMETSAT, of Darmstadt, Germany. * January 31 A Boeing DELTA 2-7920 is expected to be launched from Vandenberg AFB, California, carrying a cluster of five IRIDIUM mobile telephony satellites. * Late January NASA's X-38 prototype (vehicle no.131) is intended to perform its first drop test from the wing of a NB-52 carrier aircraft over Edwards AFB, California. The Orbital Report On-Line was published 3 to 4 times per month by Takyon International (RCS Paris B 401 465 398) BP 2148, F-34027 Montpellier Cedex 1, France Phone: +33 (0) 467 664 681 - 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 - December 1997 Takyon International and Launchspace Publications also publish The International Space Industry Report (ISIR), a biweekly newsletter on space business and technology ------------------- End of Final OReOL Issue ----------------------
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