Loral Space & Communications Ltd. announced Wednesday that due to an Air Force tracking radar malfunction, the launch of the Orion 3 satellite originally scheduled for April 5, 1999 has been delayed. The launch will be rescheduled, pending range availability at the Cape Canaveral Air Station.
"Naturally, we are disappointed by this unfortunate turn of events," said Terry Hart, president of Loral Skynet. "Nevertheless, we are pleased that both the rocket and satellite themselves showed no malfunction, and they remain ready for use as soon as a new launch date can be scheduled. We expect that a new launch date will be set in the next thirty days." Hart said the delay would in no way prevent Loral Skynet from continuing to meet commitments to customers for satellite services.
Orion 3 will be located at 139 degrees East longitude. When it enters service, the satellite will serve Loral Skynet and Loral Orion customers throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. This offers broadcasters, program distributors, Internet service providers and corporations access to major business centers in India, China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, Oceania and Hawaii.
Orion 3 carries a total of 43 transponders: 10 at C-band and 33 at Ku-band, with three different power levels. Built by Hughes Space & Communications of El Segundo, Calif., the HS 601HP body-stabilized spacecraft features dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells, radiation-cooled traveling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTA), advanced battery technology and a xenon ion propulsion system. At 8.5 kilowatts, Orion 3 is one of the most powerful satellites Hughes has built.
Orion 3 is to be launched aboard a Delta III rocket manufactured by Boeing. The Delta III uses existing components and infrastructure similar to that used with Boeing's Delta II launch vehicle, but can boost twice the payload into orbit. Orion 3 is the largest payload ever to be launched to geosynchronous transfer orbit by a Delta launch vehicle.
