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Aviation History
1982
1982 - 2403.PDF
Hughes triumphs in Mexico LOS ANGELES Hughes Aircraft has won a $92 million contract to pro vide Mexico with two domestic communications satellites and a ground sta tion. But the victory could be a hollow one. A new Mexi can Government is due to take office in December, and there are indications that it will delay the satellites by up to five years. There are also suggestions that Mexico lacks the money to pay for the craft. Current plans call for the two craft to be launched aboard Space Shuttle in 1985. They will be Mexico's first communications satel lites, and are to be called Iluicahaa—an Aztec name meaning "Lord God of the Heavens". The satellites will relay television programmes, tele phone calls, and data. Each will be based on the Hughes H1S376 bus, : and feature a 'hybrid C and K-band pay- load. Design life will be nine years. Mexico's satellite-control ground station will be at Tulancingo, north-east of Mexico City, the country's capital. PARIS A report on the turbopump failure that caused Ariane to crash on its fifth flight is published this week. It was compiled by a team of Euro pean turbine experts, drawn from outside the Ariane programme. The report is expected to ypnclude that some sort of mechanical or lubrication failure, perhaps caused by a build-up of manufacturing tolerances, was to blame. If this proves to be the case, Ariane failure discussed then a simple modification should cure the problem. Tests of the modified third- stage turbopump could then be completed relatively fast —allowing an Ariane flight as early as January next year. The European Space Agency next has to decide whether to try and launch Exosat, whose window closes around January 23. Alter natively, ESA may launch Exosat in a later window, and substitute the first Euro pean Communications Satel lite (ECS 1). Satellite TV scramble begins in America Most of the eight companies' seeking to begin direct-broad cast television in the USA will get approval by the end of this month, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The companies are CBS, Direct Broadcast Satellite, Focus Broadcast Satellite, Graphic Scanning, RCA Americom, US Satellite, Video Satellite Systems, and Western Union. Early this month Satellite Television became the first company to win direct-broad cast approval in the USA (Flight, October 9, page 1038). Most of the companies FLIGHT International, 23 October 1982 plan nationwide networks, typically starting with regional coverage of the east or west coast. Many of them will simply provide the satel lites, depending on other companies to supply the pro grammes. In issuing permits the FCC appears to apply fairly loose criteria, embracing technical and financial viability. The FCC believes that there is no danger of more companies seeking to broadcast from satellites than can be accom modated, estimating that 35-60 channels can be toler ated in each American time Ariane lifts off on its ill-fated first commercial flight Oak cancels broadcast plan OTTAWA ~ American company Oak In dustries has cancelled plans to begin a direct-broadcast television service to the USA in 1984. The company had planned to hire four trans ponders on Telesat-Canada's Anik C3, as an interim measure toward its own satel lites. It says that financial and technical reasons are to blame. Oak had planned for viewers to use a 1 • 2m dia meter antenna, to make up for the comparatively low- power transponders fitted on Anik C. SPACEFLIGHT Enterprise gets the shakes MOJAVE Enterprise, the only Earth- bound Orbiter, is likely to aid the monitoring of fatigue in its sister craft through modal analysis. The techni que calls for each Orbiter to be fitted with tiny accelero- meters, and then vibrated by electromagnetic shakers. Analysis of the accelerations experienced by different parts of the structure would then allow the craft's characL teristics to be plotted. If the structure later be came damaged, these charac teristics would change. Cracks missed in visual in spections would be shown up by this method—a desirable safeguard for a repeatedly used manned spacecraft. Nasa has already had suc cess with the technique on pieces of Orbiter structure. The Enterprise trials, due to end this month, should pro vide a fuller picture. Spaceshots... Telesat Canada and American Satellite have signed an agreement covering com munications via satellite across the Canada/USA border. The agreement pro vides for each company to relay a half of the traffic. Mitsubishi has been chosen to build eight ground-stations for the planned Aussat net work, at a cost of around $30 million. The stations will be at Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, and Hobart. When land and buildings are added, the total cost reaches $65 million. Telesat Canada's latest dom estic communications satel lite, Anik Dl, has become operational in record time. Anik Dl was launched on August 26, and arrived at its geostationary slot of 104-5°W just seven days later. Transfer of Anik A2 and A3 traffic took place be tween September 17 and Oc tober 8. 1171
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