Contact With New Satellite Lost

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30058, 16 February 1963, Page 11

Contact With New Satellite Lost

(N.Z.P.A.-R«ut«r— Copyright) CAPE CANAVERAL, February 14. United States scientists today lost radio contact with their communications satellite, Syncon.

The satellite was successfully launched this morning, but the scientist* do not know if it achieved orbit. A small solid-fuel rocket was fired five hour* after the launching to “kick” the spacecraft into orbit But it may have hurled it off course. Mater Worked A space official said: “The motor fired successfully but radio signals stopped 13 seconds later. We regained a brief signal about 7 i.m. (midnight NX), but nothing more.

“We may be in a beautiful orbit and just encountering transmission difficulties.”

On* possibility was that the temperature in the satellite had become too high and had

affected communication*. The satellite's system* had therefore been turned off. They would be switched on by signal from the ground later. Syncom should have a “stationary" orbit, moving at the speed of the earth's rotation. Kick-Becket The kick-rocket was fired when Syncom wa* 22,300 miles over the Equator. Signal* from the 861 b drumshaped satellite were picked up near Johannesburg 22 minutes after the launching and were received there for five hours. Th* United State* naval ship, Kingsport, off Lagos, also picked up data from Syncom.