Orbital Successfully Launches NASA's SNOE Satellite and World's First Commercial KA-BAND LEO Satellite for Teledesic.DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 1998-- -- Mission Marks 20th Launch of Pegasus Rocket The Pegasus rocket is a winged space booster developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital). Three main stages, filled with solid propellant, provide most thrust. The vehicle is launched from another aircraft at approximately 40,000 feet (12,000 m). -- Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC, though commonly referred to as Orbital) is a Dulles, Virginia company which specializes in satellite launch and manufacture. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : ORBI) announced today that its Pegasus(R) rocket successfully launched NASA's Student Nitric Oxide nitric oxide or nitrogen monoxide, a colorless gas formed by the combustion of nitrogen and oxygen as given by the reaction: energy + N2 + O2 → 2NO; m.p. −163.6°C;; b.p. −151.8°C;. Explorer (SNOE SNOE Student Nitric Oxide Explorer SNOE Smart Noise Equipment ) satellite, as well as Teledesic LLC's T1 satellite, the world's first commercial Ka-band low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, late Wednesday night, February 25. The launch originated from Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 3,456 acres (1,399 hectares), SW Calif., near Lompoc; chief Pacific coast launch site for military satellites. , California when Orbital's L-1011 "Stargazer stargazer, common name for any of several species of marine fishes of the family Uranoscopidae, found in southern waters, and having the mouth, nostrils, and eyes set high in the head. Stargazers lie buried in the sand, waiting for their prey of small crustaceans. " 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 SNOE and T1 satellites into their planned orbits at an altitude of approximately 565 kilometers, inclined at 97.7 degrees. Initial communications were with the SNOE satellite were established as it passed over a ground station at Poker Flat, Alaska about an hour after its deployment. Initial communications with the T1 satellite are expected to be established later today at Orbital's satellite ground control station at the company's Dulles, Virginia headquarters. The SNOE Satellite The SNOE spacecraft and its instruments were designed and built by a team of students and engineers at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is a research organization at the University of Colorado at Boulder. LASP is a world-class research institute with advanced technical capabilities specializing in designing, building, and operating spacecraft and . The 254 pound satellite carries three instruments: an ultraviolet spectrometer to measure nitric oxide altitude profiles, a two-channel photometer Photometer An instrument used for making measurements of light, or electromagnetic radiation, in the visible range. In general, photometers may be divided into two classifications: laboratory photometers, which are usually fixed in position and yield results to measure auroral emissions beneath the spacecraft and a five-channel solar soft X-ray photometer. SNOE will investigate the effects of energy from the sun and the magnetosphere magnetosphere: see Van Allen radiation belts. magnetosphere Region around a planet (such as Earth) or a natural satellite that possesses a magnetic field (see on the density of nitric oxide in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The extreme variability of nitric oxide may also be important to ozone chemistry in the middle atmosphere. SNOE is the first of three student satellite projects selected to be built under the Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI STEDI Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative STEDI Successful Teacher EDrichment Institute ) program. Funded by NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. and managed by the Universities Space Research Association, STEDI is a pilot program designed to assess the effectiveness of smaller, low-cost space flight missions. The next STEDI mission, Boston University's TERRIERS satellite, is also scheduled to be launched on Pegasus. Teledesic's T1 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. 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 "Internet-in-the-Sky" network, which was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. 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 Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is high speed Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access over modem. Dial-up modems are generally only capable of a maximum bitrate of 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a , videoconferencing and other digital data needs. The Kirkland, Wash.-based company is backed by telecommunications pioneer Craig McCaw and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. 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. The latest launch of MicroStar spacecraft occurred on February 10, 1998, when two ORBCOMM satellites were deployed by Orbital's Taurus(R) rocket. The Pegasus Launch System 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 horizontal position, n a posture in which the body lies flat and the feet and head remain on the same level. Also called supine. for five seconds before igniting its first stage rocket motor. The SNOE/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 SNOE/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 Global Positioning System: see navigation satellite. Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise satellite-based navigation and location system originally developed for U.S. military use. (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. Finally, Orbital is now building a strong position in the rapidly growing market for satellite-delivered communications and imagery services through two affiliated companies Affiliated Companies A situation that occurs when one company owns a minority interest (less than 50%) in another company. Also refers to companies that are related to each other in some way. Notes: An affiliated company is sometimes referred to as a subsidiary. . 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. Notes to editors: To learn more about Orbital Sciences Corporation and to access our recent press releases, visit our web site at http://www.orbital.com. Photos of the T1 satellite, Pegasus rocket and Orbital's L-1011 "Stargazer" carrier aircraft are available on the Internet at www.orbital.com/CoolStuff/24bit_pictures/index.html, or by calling Jan Cannon at 703/406-5507 for original copies. Coverage of the SNOE/T1 mission will be broadcast on NASA Television on Thursday, February 26 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The satellite coordinates for NASA Television are the GE-2 satellite, transponder A receiver/transmitter on a communications satellite. It receives a microwave signal from earth (uplink), amplifies it and retransmits it back to earth at a different frequency (downlink). A satellite has several transponders. 9C, C-band, located at 85 degrees West longitude. CONTACT: Orbital Sciences Corporation Barron Beneski, 703/406-5000 |
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