Euro-rocket off to good start

Press, 9 May 1985, Page 6

Euro-rocket off to good start

NZPA-Reuter Kourou, French Guiana Europe’s Ariane rocket chalked up its eighth consecutive success with a near-perfect lift-off yesterday that put two communication satellites into orbit and underlined its commercial strength. But the countdown was plagued by last-minute hitches.

First, a faulty computer card triggered a red light on the controllers’ launch panel, which delayed things by 20 minutes. Then a problem developed with gauges used for measuring the pressure of liquid hydrogen in the third-stage tanks. The rocket was finally launched with only 13 minutes remaining in the 97-minute “launch window” — the time available to ensure a perfect satellite release.

Ariane, which carried an American and a French communications satellite, is taking about 50 per cent of

the booming commercial market. The rocket took off from the Kourou Space Centre, on the edge of the French Guianese jungle, took place in near-perfect conditions. There were few clouds, as a result of strong on-shore winds, and no rain as the 45metre rocket blasted off in a cloud of flame and smoke. After some 20 minutes of flight the Gstar 1 orbiter and the French P.T.T.’s Telcom IB satellite were released from the nose-cone consecutively into a geostationary orbit. Gstar, run by the G.T.E. Spacenet Corporation in the United States, is one of a family of five telecommunications satellites.

Ariane has already launched two of the family, known as the Spacenet series, with one still to go. It has not been decided who will launch it yet. Ariane, having launched Gstar 1 yesterday, will launch Gstar 2 later in the year.