One rocket's loss is another one's gain
flatoday.com
July 26, 1999
By Justin Ray
FLORIDA TODAY
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Lockheed Martin's new Atlas 3A rocket lost its first
payload on Monday when the satellite's maker decided to use a rival European
rocket.
The Telstar 7 communications satellite was set for launch this summer from Cape
Canaveral Air Station on the Atlas 3A rocket's maiden flight. But the launch had
been stalled because of on-going investigations into the in-flight failure of an upper
stage engine similar to one to be used on the new rocket.
The failure occurred May 4 when the second stage engine aboard Boeing's Delta 3
rocket exploded during launch. The engine's maker, Pratt & Whitney of West Palm
Beach, grounded all rockets that use versions of the motor. Atlas 3A rockets'
Centaur upper stage will use one of the engines.
Officials still aren't sure when the Atlas 3A will be cleared for launch, prompting
Loral Space and Communications officials to look elsewhere for a rocket to deliver
Telstar 7 into space.
"We are wanting to get our satellite into orbit. There is no mystery to that," Loral
spokeswoman Jeanette Clonan said.
A European-built Ariane 4 rocket is now set to launch the satellite on Sept. 14 from
Kourou, French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America.
The satellite will orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth's equator to beam television
signals to the United States, Caribbean and Latin America. Time Warner Cable will
be the biggest user of the satellite, relaying its AthenaTV.
"Obviously, we are disappointed that Loral has decided to fly Telstar 7 on a
competitor," Lockheed Martin officials said in a statement. "Space Systems/Loral
remains one of our most important customers, however, and it is our intention to
continue discussions with them on use of the Atlas 3A vehicle."
Monday's announcement was the first time in memory a commercial satellite launch
from the Cape was scrapped after the rocket was assembled on the launch pad.
Officials would not say if Loral was forced to pay a penalty for deciding to leave the
Atlas rocket so close to launch.
Lockheed Martin workers are expected to remove the rocket from its Cape
Canaveral launch pad and place it in storage until a new satellite cargo is found.
Loral has purchased three of the new Atlas 3A rockets, and will still use this first
vehicle. The rocket could be flown later this year to launch the Echostar-6
direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellite.
However, the rocket won't be ready to launch a different satellite for four or five
months. The time will be needed so technicians can modify the rocket's flight
software to handle the new payload, said Julie Andrews, spokeswoman for
International Launch Services, the marketing arm of Lockheed Martin.
Arianespace's Ariane 4 and 5 rockets dominate the commercial satellite launch
market that also includes Lockheed Martin's Atlas 2 and 3 families of vehicles,
Boeing's Delta 2 and 3, the Chinese Long March and Russian Proton.
Lockheed Martin began development of the more powerful Atlas 3 family in the
mid-1990s to attract a larger share of the commercial market by launching heavier
satellites.
The Atlas 3A will be capable of launching satellites weighing about 9,000 pounds, an
increase of 1,000 pounds over the Atlas 2.
The extra power comes from new Russian-built first-stage engines that will power
the rockets toward space. Atlas 3 will be the first American rocket ever to use
Russian engine technology.
The ability to carry bigger payloads is viewed as critical for the U.S. launch industry
because it will give satellite owners another choice instead of forcing them look
outside the United States.
Besides Lockheed Martin, Boeing took similar action to create the Delta 3. That
new booster can carry twice the weight of the smaller Delta 2.
So far, three Atlas 3As have been sold to Loral, and the Pentagon has purchased
two larger Atlas 3Bs.
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