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Orbital Sciences Successfully Launches World's First Commercial KA-BAND LEO Satellite For Teledesic LLC |
Orbital Sciences Mission Patch
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Teledesic is building a global, broadband "Internet-in-the-Sky."
Using a
constellation of 288 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Teledesic will create the world's first satellite network to provide affordable, worldwide, "fiber-like" access to telecommunications services such as broadband Internet access, videoconferencing, high-quality voice and other digital data needs."On Day One" of service,
Teledesic will enable broadband telecommunications access for businesses, schools and individuals "everywhere" on the planet.|
New low earth orbit satellites mark as decisive a break in the history of space-based communications as the PC represented in the history of computing. Pay attention to .. Teledesic. Backed by Craig McCaw and Bill Gates, it is the only LEO fully focused on serving computers . -- George Gilder |
FEB 26,1998 - 6:30 PACIFIC - 09:30 EASTERN
Successfully
LaunchesWorld's First Commercial KA-BAND LEO Satellite
for
LEO satellite systems represent an inherently egalitarian technology that promises to radically transform the economics of telecommunications infrastructure to enable universal access to the Information Age. W. Russell Daggatt, President, Teledesic Corp.
-- Mission Marks 20th Launch of Pegasus Rocket --
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ: ORBI) has announced that
its Pegasus(R) rocket has successfully launched Teledesic LLC's T1 satellite, the world's "first" commercial Ka-band low-Earth orbit (LEO)
satellite, late Wednesday night, February 25. 1998
The launch originated from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Californiawhen Orbital's L-1011 "Stargazer" carrier aircraft took off at
approximately 10:05 p.m. Pacific time.
The aircraft flew off the California coast at an altitude of
39,000 feet to a pre-determined location over the Pacific Ocean,
where the Pegasus rocket was released and ignited its first stage at approximately 11:05 p.m.
After a flight of approximately 10 minutes, Pegasus delivered the
T1 satellite into its planned orbit at an altitude of
approximately 565 kilometers, inclined at 97.7 degrees.
Communications with the T1 satellite were
established through Orbital's satellite ground control station
at the company's Dulles, Virginia headquarters.
Teledesic's T1 Satellite
But the test vehicle -- called a T-1 -- is nothing like the 288 satellites that will make up the Teledesic system. "We're still in the development stage of our production satellites," said Roger Nyhus, a Teledesic spokesperson.
Teledesic's Production Satellite
Teledesic's T1 satellite, previously called the Broadband
Advanced Technology satellite (BATSAT), is an experimental satellite
designed and built by an Orbital, Teledesic and Boeing team.
The company is using the satellite to test atmospheric effects, power and transmission systems, "rain fade" adaptability and GPS synchronization
Known as T1 for Teledesic 1, it is the world's first commercial
"Ka" frequency band LEO spacecraft. The T1 satellite is part of
Teledesic's ongoing developmental effort to build its global,
broadband
Federal Communications Commission last year.
Teledesic plans to use a constellation of 288 low-Earth-orbit
satellites to create the world's first network providing affordable,
worldwide, "fiber-like" access to telecommunications services, such
as linking enterprise computing networks, broadband Internet access, videoconferencing and other digital data needs.
. The T-1 is transmitting data at about 2 million bits per second. The actual system will send data at speeds of 10 billion bits per second, according to Teledesic. The company projects a total cost of $9 billion.
"We are actively engaged in a variety of hardware experimentation and software simulations for all aspects of the Teledesic system. The T1 satellite is one part of that ongoing development effort. As such, the results of its mission are proprietary, and we do not plan to release those publicly" . Teledesic spokesperson.
The Kirkland, Wash.-based company is backed by telecommunications pioneer
Craig McCaw and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates."We'll have infinite bandwidth in a decade's time."
-- Bill Gates, PC Magazine, Oct. 11, 1994.
Orbital provided the T1 satellite bus, which is based on the company's MicroStar(TM) spacecraft platform, and Boeing supplied the payload for the commercial communications satellite.
MicroStar has
served as the basis for 14 satellites that are currently in orbit, as
well as nearly 30 more satellites now in production.
Designed to be launched in multiple or "piggyback" units, the innovative, disc-shaped MicroStar spacecraft platform supports payloads in the 50-kg class and provides a three- to five-year mission life. The baseline bus, or "ring," is approximately one meter in diameter and 16.5 cm deep. Payloads requiring a deeper bus can be easily accommodated by mating two or more rings, or by creating a custom-depth ring. Attitude control options range from gravity gradient to three-axis stabilized. Orbit average power available to the payload is approximately 55 Watts to 90 Watts, depending on the mission orbit.
The MicroStar platform was originally developed to support the
ORBCOMM global communications system, which will provide real-time, mobile two-way data and messaging services worldwide. The first two ORBCOMM satellites and a companion satellite called MicroLab-1 were launched on a single Pegasus in April 1995. Orbital is now engaged in the design, development and production of 36 more MicroStar satellites (including 34 for the ORBCOMM constellation), all of which are scheduled to be launched on Orbital's Pegasus or Taurus vehicles.The last launch of MicroStar spacecraft occurred on February
10, 1998, when two
Orbital's Pegasus rocket is the world's leading launch system for
the deployment of small satellites into low-Earth orbit. Its
patented air-launch system has enabled Orbital to conduct operations from five separate launch sites, including four sites in the U.S. and one in Europe, the first time a space launch vehicle has provided such operational flexibility.
Pegasus is carried aloft by the company-owned L-1011 "Stargazer"aircraft to a point approximately 40,000 feet over open ocean areas, where it is released and then free-falls in a horizontal position for five seconds before igniting its first stage rocket motor.
The Teledesic T1 launch represents the 20th Pegasus mission since the rocket's debut in 1990. In recent years, Orbital has significantly increased the number of Pegasus launches performed each year. In 1997, Pegasus scored perfect marks, successfully conducting five missions for government and commercial customers. The Teledesic T1
launch is the first of eight Pegasus missions scheduled for 1998.
About Orbital
Orbital is one of the ten largest space-related companies in the
United States, with 1997 sales of over $600 million and a work force of approximately 4,000 people. The company is the world's leading manufacturer of low-cost space systems and products.
Through its ORBCOMM and ORBIMAGE subsidiaries, Orbital is also a pioneering operator of satellite networks that provide data
communications and high-resolution imagery services to customers all around the world.
Since its founding in 1982, Orbital (including several predecessor companies) has built and launched, or now has on order, 350 small- and medium-class satellites and small launch vehicles. It has also produced over 15,000 space-related sensors and electronics systems and has installed satellite ground stations in more than 25 countries.
The company's Magellan subsidiary is the world's premier producer of mobile satellite access products. As a result of its recent merger with Ashtech Inc., Magellan now offers the broadest line of products that use the Global Positioning System (GPS), from hand-held consumer models to high-precision units for industrial and scientific uses.
Also using GPS and other technologies, Magellan's PathMaster(TM) is the most popular car navigation system in the U.S., with over 10,000 units installed. In addition, Magellan manufactures and sells state-of-the-art satellite communications products, including satellite telephones and hand-held personal messaging units for the ORBCOMM network.
Orbital is now building a strong position in the rapidly growing market for satellite-delivered communications and imagery services through two affiliated companies.
ORBCOMM is the world's first operational low-orbit satellite network for global data communications.
ORBIMAGE currently offers satellite-based Earth imaging services worldwide with two operational satellites, OrbView-1 and OrbView-2, and with two planned high-resolution digital imaging satellites, OrbView-3 and OrbView-4.
To learn more about Orbital Sciences Corporation visit the OSC web site at http://www.orbital.com.
W. Russell Daggatt, President, Teledesic Corp., Kirkland, Wash.
A Red Herring interview with Russell Daggatt,
Quality-of-Service (QOS) is essential to the current and future markets for telecommunications. QOS refers to the performance guarantees that a network can offer to its users, which determines what the network can be used for. Latency - which simply means delay - is one of the basic parameters that determines a network's QOS.
Teledesic's ability to offer fiber-like latency to ensure seamless compatibility with terrestrial networks is an important competitive advantage over traditional, high-latency geostationary satellites.
E-Mail:
duncans@net1fx.comWeb Page:
http://www.net1fx.com/~duncansThis page last updated March 5, 1998
