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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeff Vayda who wrote (6293)	8/3/1999 8:28:00 AM
From: David Wiggins	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29987

More Garbage from US Govt. AKA Big Brother news.com Article copies poorly due to graphics. Gist is that FBI is trying to hold up launch of service in US until they can be assured they can tap into calls at will. Airtouch says this issue WILL NOT delay launch of service. Regards, Dave

To: Jeff Vayda who wrote (6293)	8/3/1999 8:43:00 AM
From: Jeff Vayda	Respond to of 29987

Whoops, slide to the right: Aug. 3, 1999 Next Delta 2 launch delayed to replace suspect booster By Justin Ray FLORIDA TODAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Boeing workers on Wednesday will replace one of the solid rocket boosters attached to a Delta 2 rocket set for launch later this month, the company said Monday. Officials decided to make the "precautionary" replacement after discovering the original booster had "superficial scratches" on its outer casing, said Boeing spokeswoman Erin Lutz. "It is better to be safe than sorry." The January 1997 mid-air explosion of a Delta 2 rocket was caused when a solid rocket motor casing ruptured. Investigators determined the casing was damaged during pre-flight processing. Today, technicians are scheduled to remove the rocket's second stage in preparation for swapping the suspect booster with a new one on Wednesday. The second stage will be reattached later. As a result of the extra work, the upcoming launch has been delayed two days to Aug. 17. The three-minute window will open at 12:37:41 a.m. EDT (0437:41 GMT). The launch will be Boeing's sixth to carry four Globalstar satellites into low-Earth orbit for the emerging worldwide telephone system. The Delta 2 will use four of the Alliant Techsystems-built solid-propellant motors. The 43-foot tall motors are strapped to the base of the rocket and burn for the first 63 seconds of flight. Seconds later, the spent boosters are jettisoned to fall into the ocean below. Meanwhile, the Globalstar satellites are undergoing final processing at the Astrotech facility near Titusville, Fla. All four spacecraft, mounted to their dispenser, are slated to be transported to launch pad 17B for mating to the Delta 2's second stage on Aug. 10.

To: Jeff Vayda who wrote (6293)	8/3/1999 4:31:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

Iridium/ICO/Globalstar This could be the best outcome of all: Iridium continues in service with heavily discounted minutes, which provides worldwide coverage. Therefore, there is no need for ICO. Globalstar can start service and provide the cheap regional coverage with high quality minutes and no latency [which GEOs and MEOs cause]. ICO shareholders go and do something useful and stop losing their money. After 3 or 4 years, Globalstar could launch an orthogonal 10,000km system, such as ICO's planned one, to fill in the gaps so that a totally Global Globalstar system could be offered based on high quality CDMA. Globalstar would have the customers by then to justify it and Iridium would be nearing the end of its life so those subscribers could swap to Globalstar. Also, Globalstar Constellation2 could be launched about 2004 and maybe only 700km high to increase capacity, coverage and upgrade data rates etc, enable small handsets, small aerials on handsets, WWeb access or links to Skybridge and happier customers. Iridium only has 1.3bn minutes to sell, so it's not as big a competitor as ICO which would have 15bn minutes which would really put a big surplus of minutes in space with the resulting effect on minute prices of slashing them to the bone. So, let's hope Iridium doesn't fail. Maybe Globalstar should slip a few hundred million $$ into Iridium to keep it operating and fend off ICO. It all looks like a no-lose situation. It wouldn't be good if both Iridium and ICO failed because there would then be no service to places like Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand [where a Globalstar gateway is uneconomic unless cheap minutes are offered to the service provider or there are millions of G* subscribers elsewhere providing roaming revenue during visits.] For a reasonable shareholding in Iridium, it would be worth Globalstar funding continuing Iridium operations to ensure ICO stays out of the market and to provide service where Globalstar can't. I'm sure Bernie Schwartz will be on to that one. Heck, Globalstar might just buy the whole of Iridium as a going concern. That would be better than letting Motorola have a free hand at taking it over. Maurice