Loral Space and Communications said Monday that the Skynet Telstar 6 broadcast video and data communications satellite has been returned to the Space Systems/Loral facility in Palo Alto, California following concerns with thermal fatigue to bird's traveling wave tubes. The launch was originally slated for October 15 and has now been rescheduled to the second quarter of 1999.
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), the satellite manufacturer, was advised
earlier by component provider AEG of Germany that the traveling wave
tubes (TWTs) in the satellite assembly may be susceptible to thermally
induced fatigue resulting in SS/L¿s postponement of the launch pending
further testing at the launch site.
To ensure that Telstar 6 performance specifications are met, replacement
of the TWTs on the Telstar 6 satellite will be performed at SS/L's
facility in Palo Alto, Calif. Upon replacement of the TWTs, the company
expects to launch Telstar 6 and place it in service no later than in the
second quarter of 1999.
"Loral Skynet is committed to providing our customers with a quality
product. When we are certain that the satellite meets all
specifications, we will move forward with and announce the new launch
plans," stated Terry Hart, president, Loral Skynet. "Our service to
customers will continue in the interim until Telstar 6 is available."
The satellites in Loral Skynet's current constellation, Telstar 4 and
Telstar 5, are equipped with a different version of the traveling wave
tubes and are operating normally. Telstar 7, currently under
construction at SS/L, also is scheduled for launch in the second quarter
of 1999.
Telstar 6, which carries a total of 52 transponders — 24 at C-band and
28 at Ku-band — will be one of the most sophisticated and powerful
communications satellites available to broadcasters and program
distributors in North America, covering the 50 United States, Puerto
Rico, the Caribbean, and parts of Canada and Latin America.
The advanced Telstar 6 satellite will provide Loral Skynet's
broadcasting, education and news-gathering customers with the clearest,
and most interference-free broadcast video and data communications
transmissions available in the industry today.
Loral Skynet Business Status
Loral Skynet of Bedminster, New Jersey, a subsidiary of Loral Space &
Communications, is a leading satellite communications services provider
that owns and operates the Telstar satellites. Loral Skynet's customers
lease transponder capacity to distribute network television programming,
to collect live video feeds for the reporting of news and events, and to
offer direct-to-home and pay-per-view programming, distance learning,
educational, and other business television services. Loral Skynet also
provides technical consulting, as well as tracking, telemetry, and
control of satellite fleets for a wide variety of customers. Loral
Skynet operates Telstar 4 and Telstar 5, which provide C-band and
Ku-band coverage over the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through the recent
privatization of Mexico's satellite operations, Loral, through Loral
Skynet, also manages Satellites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. (SatMex). SatMex
currently operates three satellites, Solidaridad 1, Solidaridad 2 and
Morelos II. SatMex 5 (previously Morelos III), is scheduled for launch
in November of 1998.
