April 30, 1997
                                               Vol. 1 - No. 1
                ==============================
                  THE ORBITAL REPORT ON-LINE
                ==============================
             Space Executive's Weekly News Digest
This is the first issue of Takyon International's latest on-line
newsletter, published in cooperation with New Space. (www.newspace.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 PEGASUS XL air-launched vehicle has resumed flights on April 21,
lofting two payloads to a 560 x 580 km orbit with a 151° inclination.
The main payload was the 209-kg MINISAT 0.1 scientific satellite, the first
all-Spanish spacecraft, provided by Spain's National Aerospace Technologies
Institute (INTA). Attacehed to the Pegasus XL's third stage was a cluster
of 24 capsules containing samples of human remains for CELESTIS INC., of
Houston, Texas, The winged rocket was released from the L-1011 'Stargazer'
carrier aircraft off the coasts of Western Sahara, south of Gran Canary
island. INTA paid US$10.4 million for this launch. ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP.
(OSC) plans to perform next Pegasus XL mission in June from Vandenberg AFB,
California, to loft the SEASTAR oceanography satellite.
* The last LOCKHEED MARTIN ATLAS 1 vehicle lofted the third SPACE
SYSTEMS/LORAL-built Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES-K) for the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on
April 25. The US$220-million satellite, renamed GOES-10, will be stored in
geostationary orbit by 105°W. It will serve as a back-up for the two
currently operating satellites, GOES-8 and 9. It is expected to replace
GOES-8 at the end of its useful lifetime in 1999.
=== BUSINESS ===
* ITT DEFENSE & ELECTRONICS (ITT D&E), of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was awarded
a US$177-million contract by NASA to develop and provide the imager and
sounder sensors for the two first next-generation Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites (GOES-N and GOES-O) to be launched no earlier than
late 2001 and 2003 for the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA).
* PT TELEKOMUNIKASI INDONESIA (TELKOM), of Jakarta, Indonesia, has signed a
contract worth an estimated US$75 million with ARIANESPACE, of Evry,
France, for the launch of its 2,500-kg TELKOM-1 (32C) communication
satellite in late 1998 or early 1999. The agreement includes space
technology training.
* The US SUPREME COURT has accepted an appeal from a previous judgement
which ordered the US Government to pay more than US$125 million in
royalties to HUGHES ELECTRONICS, of El Segundo, California, for the use
of a patented spin stabilization process on more than 100 satellites. The
justice action, underway since 1973, will have to be reviewed again.
  **********************************************************************
  * New Space has teamed up with ICAP Int'l to publish a FREE Internet *
  * directory of nearly 400 space companies. A companion CD-ROM ($59)  *
  * gives instant access to the basic directory plus over 15,000 pages *
  * of scanned literature. Check these web sites for complete info:    *
  *       www.newspace.com/industry         www.newspace.com/icap      *
  **********************************************************************
=== MARKETS ===
* NASA has selected five projects among 34 proposals for DISCOVERY-class
low-cost planetary missions. Each project was awarded a US$350,000
six-month feasibility study contract to be completed by mid-August. The
projects are ALADDIN (to collect samples of Martian moons), CONTOUR (Comet
Nucleus Tour), GENESIS (to collect samples of solar wind), MESSENGER
(Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) and VESAT
(Venus Environmental Satellite). One or two missions will be selected in
October for completion before late 2002. Each mission will have to be
developed in 3 years for less than US$183 million.
* The US AIR FORCE (USAF) is studying the possibility of launching at least
one Defense Support Program (DSP) early warning satellite on a SHUTTLE
vehicle in 1999 instead of the planned TITAN 4B CENTAUR vehicle. This
prospect is part of a joint USAF/NASA study to be released by
mid-October.
=== TECHNOLOGIES ===
* AIR LIQUIDE's Advanced Technologies Division (DTA), in Sassenage, France,
has delivered the 100th set of cryogenic tanks for the ARIANE vehicle's
third stage. It is due to fly on the Ariane V102 vehicle in October
(assuming that Ariane 502 will fly in September as V101). 24 more sets
of tanks are to be produced on the site before Ariane 5 takes over all
Ariane launch activities in 2000.
* NASA has decided to withdraw from the Russia's next BIOKOSMOS mission,
BION 12, which will consist in the launch of a pair of rhesus monkeys in a
Vostok-type capsule for a 15-day long flight in July 1998. NASA's decision
was based on findings by an independent review board following the death
of one of the two monkeys flown on Bion 11 on January 8, the day after they
were recovered.
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  * to space executives all over the world. For more info, visit our  *
  * web page at http://www.newspace.com/oreol -or- send e-mail to     *
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  * the message body.                                                 *
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=== PREVIEW ===
* Early May  CHINA GREAT WALL INDUSTRY CORP. (CGWIC) is expected
             to resume launches of its CZ 'LONG MARCH' family of
             vehicles. A CZ-3A vehicle is planned to boost the
             DONG FANG HONG 3A2 (DFH-3A2) satellite to geosyn-
             chronous transfer orbit from Xichang, Sichuan province.
* May 3      McDONNELL DOUGLAS should resume launches of its DELTA 2
             vehicles with a Delta 2-7920 vehicle carrying a cluster
             of five IRIDIUM mobile telephony satellites to low Earth
             orbit from Vandenberg, California.
* May 9      A McDonnell Douglas DELTA 2-7925 vehicle is scheduled to
             loft the THOR 2A direct broadcasting satellite for
             TELENOR of Norway from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
* May 9      NASA is due to issue a report to the US CONGRESS
             regarding the interruption of the STS-83 shuttle mission
             only 4 days into flight in early April.
* May 10     LOCKHEED MARTIN's LMLV-1 should return to launch, to
             loft NASA's TRW-built LEWIS experimental remote sensing
             satellite.
   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) 146 566 490 * Fax: +33 (0) 146 561 355
              Editorial hotline: +33 (0) 607 995 056
                   E-mail: [email protected]
                  Chief Editor: Stefan Barensky
               Technical Contributor: Samuel Szdat
               © Takyon International - April 1997
               Takyon International also publishes
                   The Orbital Launcher Report,
            a monthly space transportation newsletter.
------------------- End of issue Vol.1, No.1 ----------------------

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