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Replacement for infamous satellite rockets into space BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: June 5, 2002 A communications satellite rescued in space 10 years ago by astronauts aboard space shuttle Endeavour now has a replacement on its way with the successful launch of Intelsat 905 aboard an Ariane rocket.
The venerable launcher, to be retired after just three more flights, is currently riding a wave of 71 consecutive successful missions dating back to 1995. In fact, Ariane 4 has suffered only three failures in 111 flights over the past 14 years. Flight 152's Intelsat 905 payload was placed into an elliptical transfer orbit with a high point of 35,964 km, a low point of 200.1 km and an inclination of 6.98 degrees. The satellite will use on-board propulsion systems over the next few weeks to guide itself into a circular orbit 22,300 miles high, where it will appear to hover above a point in the Atlantic Ocean, or along the equator at 24.5 degrees West. From there, the spacecraft's communications instruments can offer services to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. "The successful launch of the Intelsat 905 to 335.5 deg E (24.5 degrees West) marks not only the one year anniversary of the beginning of our current launch campaign, but also an historic anniversary for Intelsat," said Intelsat CEO Conny Kullman. "The 335.5 deg E (24.5 degrees West) orbital slot, our first location, also served as the location of our first satellite, Early Bird." "We expect that the Intelsat 905 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors by providing reliable and powerful communications solutions to our customers for years to come." Intelsat 905 will offer 13 percent more capacity than the craft it is replacing in the Atlantic Ocean region. With dedicated transponders in both C-band and Ku-band, customers will be provided with vast improvements over earlier Intelsat models. Nearly one hundred carriers and Internet Service Providers will receive services from Intelsat 905. Officials say the position of the spacecraft and the regions it can reach with its powerful instruments may allow new Internet and broadcasting markets to form. Video broadcasters will also benefit from the new capacity available through Intelsat 905. A global C-band beam will be dedicated to occasional users of Intelsat broadcasting services. "These advanced features will be used by carriers, broadcasters, Internet Service Providers, and operators of business networks to provide a number of new applications and improved services to their customers," said Terry Edwards, director of world services program management for Intelsat.
Commercial operations are slated to begin on July 18 after an exhaustive series of tests and checkouts of Intelsat 905's suite of communications payloads. Intelsat 905 is the fifth in the Intelsat 9 series of communications satellites. Four have now been launched by Ariane 4 rockets, while Intelsat 903 was hauled into orbit by a Proton rocket. Two more remain to be launched, both of which will fly on Ariane launchers later this year and early next year. "The Intelsat 9 series has two basic roles, the first of which is to replace the five Intelsat 6 spacecraft, which were first launched about 12-and-a-half years ago. The second role of the Intelsat 9 spacecraft is to provide enhanced and improved services to Intelsat customers," Edwards said.
Intelsat 603 was left in a useless low orbit after its failed launch aboard a Titan 3 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The satellite's kick motor that was to propel the craft into geostationary orbit did not separate from the Titan's second stage, leaving the craft stranded. Ground controllers commanded the spacecraft to jettison the kick motor and attached second stage to open the door for a possible rescue mission. NASA's space shuttle Endeavour was then given the job to rendezvous with the satellite and attach a new kick motor, allowing it to continue its trek to geostationary orbit. After countless failed attempts to capture the spinning craft with a specially designed bar, a daring third spacewalk was staged. Three astronauts manually grabbed the satellite from space so it could be mated to the new kick motor in the shuttle's payload bay. Connections were made and the spacecraft was soon re-deployed to begin its mission anew. Arianespace's next launch will use an Ariane 5 rocket, which will launch a pair of communications satellites for French and Japanese firms later this month.
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Flight data file Vehicle: Ariane 44L Payload: Intelsat 905 Launch date: June 5, 2002 Launch window: 0644-0744 GMT (2:44-3:44 a.m. EDT) Launch site: ELA-2, Kourou, French Guiana, South America Satellite broadcast: AMC 2, Transponder 11, C-band Liberty Bell 7 Lost Spacecraft - the Search for Liberty Bell 7 describes the exploration of two unique and dangerous environments - space and underwater - in the recovery of Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule.Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Columbia Report The official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. John Glenn Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The historic first orbital flight by an American is marked by this commemorative patch for John Glenn and Friendship 7.Final Shuttle Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is available in our store. Get this piece of history!Celebrate the shuttle program Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This special commemorative patch marks the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Available in our store!Anniversary Shuttle Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.Mercury anniversary Free shipping to U.S. addresses! ![]() Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch. Fallen Heroes Patch Collection The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.Hubble Posters Stunning posters featuring images from the Hubble Space Telescope and world-renowned astrophotographer David Malin are now available from the Astronomy Now Store.Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
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