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. ********************************************************************* * The Orbital Report On-Line is a great way to get your message out * * 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 * * [email protected] with only the words "info oreol" in * * the message body. * ********************************************************************* === 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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