Telesat-c Press Kit

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Newso oDNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashingion. D.C 20546AC 202 755-8370

For Reease:IMMEDIATEP SS KIT PROJECT: TELESAT-C

Contents

GENERAL RELEASE ............... ................ 1-4LAUNCH OPERATIONS ............... .............. 5STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES ....... 6-7MAJOR DELTA/TELESAT-C FLIGHT EVENTS .......... 8TRACKING AND DATA OPERATIONS.................. 9THE TELESAT/DELTA TEAM....................... 9-10

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National Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington DC 20546AC 202 755-8370

F')r ReleaseAnn WeeksHeadquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE(Phone: 202/755-8347)

Joe McRobertsGoddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.(Phone: 301/982-4955)

RELEASE NO: 75-113

NASA TO LAUNCH CANADIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITF

The third in a series of Canadian domestic communicationssatellites, Telesat-C, will be launched by NASA from CapeCanaveral, Fla., aboard a Delta rocket about May 7.

Telesat-C will be placed in synchronous orbit over theequator at 119 degrees West Longitude (due south of Los Angeles),where it will receive television and telephone transmissionto ground stations in Canada. Each Telesat is able to accom-modate 10 color television channels or up to 9,600 telephonecircuits.

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Once in orbit, the satellite will be called ANIK-3 -

Eskimo for "brother."

Two earlier Telesats launched in 1972 and 1973 are located

at 114 degrees and 109 degrees west longitude respectively,

from which positions they have provided television and tele-

phone service to the most remote areas of Canada. TelesatCanada manages the Telesat program.

David Golden, President of Telesat Canada, describing the

impact of ANIK communications, especially in northern Canada,

said: "There's no doubt that TV is having a dramatic e fect,

but in the long run I think there will be even more dramaticeffects on industry, business, commerce, ordinary social rela-

tions, feelings of identity, homogeneity. Thisis going to be

manifested in the ordinary communications services which can

be afforded by satellite."

The Delta vehicle will place tle spacecraft initially into

a highly elliptical orbit of 232 to 36,150 kilometers (144 to

22,460 miles). On the seventh apogee, three days after launch,

a solid propellant rocket motor on board the satellite will becommanded to fire from the ground to circularize the orbit at

a synchronous altitude of 36,234 km (22,506 mi.).

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At this altitude the speed of the spacecraft in orbitmatches the rotational speed of Earth so that it appears tohover over one spot. Small gas jets on board will keep thespacecraft "on station" and oriented properly toward Earthto reqeive and retransmit signals.

Telesat satellites are about 1.8 meters (six feet) indiameter, stand about 3.3 m (11 ft.) tall, and weight about270 kilograms (600 pounds) in orbit. Some 23,000 solar cellsand batteries give forth adequate power when the spacecraftis in the Sun and during the short periods when it is in dark-ness or eclipse. Expected lifetime of the satellite is sevenyears.

Telesat Canada was established by the Canadian governmentin 1969 to own and operate its domestic satellite communicationssystem. NASA provides the launch vehicle and launch services,and is reimbursed for this support by Telesat Canada.

Command and data analysis are the responsibility of theTelesat Satellite Control Center, Ottawa. Tracking, trans-mission and reception of data will be provided by the TelesatEarth station near Allan Park, Ontario, about 130 km (80 mi.)west of Toronto.

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The Delta Project is managed by the Goddard Space FlightCenter, Greenbelt, Md. Launch services are provided by theKennedy Space Center, Fla. McDonnell Douglas AstronauticsCo., Huntington Beach, Calif., is the Delta prime contractorand Hughes Aircraft Co., Culver City, Calif., built thespacecraft for Telesat Canada.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS)

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LAUNCH OPERATIONS

The spacecraft will be launched from Complex 17B at theEastern Test Range, Fla., by a three-stage Delta launch vehicle.F rst Stage:

The first stage is a McDonnell Douglas modified Thor boosterincorporating nine strap-on Thiokol solid-fuel rocket motors.The booster is powered by a Pocketdyne engine using liquid oxygenand liquid hydrocarbon propellants. The main engine is gimbal-mounted to provide pitch and yaw control from lift to main enginecutoff (MECO).Second Stage

The second stage is powered by a TRW liquid-fuel, pressure-fed engine that also is gimbal-mounted to provide pitch and yawcontrol through second-stage burn. A nitrogen gas system useseight fixed nozzles for roll control during powered and coastflight, as well as pitch and yaw control during coast and aftersecond-stage cutoff. Two fixed nozzles, fed by the propellant-tank, helium-pressurization system, provide retro-thrust afterthird stage separation.Third Stage:

The third stage is the TE-364-4 spin-stabilized, solid-propellant Thiokol motor. It is secured in a spintable mounted tothe second stage. The firing of eight solid-propellant rocketsfixed to the spintablr.. accomplishes spin-up of the third stagespacecraft assembly.Injection Into Synchronous Orbit

The Delta vehicle will inject Telesat-C into transferorb t with an apogee of 36,150 km (22,460 mi.). The apogeeboost motor (ABM) will be fired to place the spacecraft insynchronous orbit on the seventh apogee, after which it willdrift to its station at 119 degrees west longitude at a rateof about six degrees each day,

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STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES

The Delta has the following general characteristics:Height: 35.4 m (116 ft.) including shroudMaximum diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.) without attached solidsLiftoff weight: 133,180 kg (293,000 lbs.)Liftoff thrust: 1,741,475 Newtons (391,343 lbs.)including strap-on solidsFirst Stage -- (Liquid only) consists of an extended long

tank Thor, produced by McDonnell. Douglas. The RS-27 enginesare produced by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.The stage has the following characteristics:Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.)Height: 21.3 m (70 ft.)Propellants: RJ-1 kerosene as the fuel and liquid oxygen(LOX) as the oxidizerThrust: 912,000 N (205,000 lbs.)Burning time: about 3.48 minu.esWeight: about 84,600 kg (186,000 lbs.) excluding strap-on

solids

Strap-on solids consist of nine solid propellant rocketsproduced by the Thiokol Chemical Corp., with the followingfeatures:Diameter: 0.8 m (31 in.)Height: 7 m (23.6 ft.)Total weight: 40,300 kg (88,650 lbs.) for nine4,475 Xg (9,850 lbs.) eachThrust: 2,083,000 N (468,000 lbs.) for nine231,400 N (52,000 lbs.) eachBurning time: 38 secondsSecond Stage -- Produced by McDonnell Douqlas AstronautjcCCo., utilizing a TRW TR-201 rocket engine; major contractorsfor the vehicle inertial guidance system located on the secondstage are Hamilton Standard and Teledyne.

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Propellants: Liquid, consists of Aerozene 50 for thefuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide (N204) for the oxidizer

Diameter: 1.5 m (5 ft.) plus 2.4 m (8 ft.) attached ringHeight: 6.4 m (21 ft.)Weight: 6,180 kg (13,596 lbs.)Thrust: about 42,923 N (9,650 lbs.)Total burning time: 335 secondsThird Stage -- Thiokol Chemical Co. TE-364-4 motorPropellants: solidHeight: 1.4 in (4.5 ft.)Diameter: in (3 ft.)Weight: 1,160 kg (2,560 lbs.)Thrust: 61,858 N (13,900 lbs.)Burning time: 44 seconds

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TRACKING AND DATA OPERATIONS

The Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network (STDN) willprovide launch vehicle support for the mission. The trackingnetwork includes stations at Johannesburg, South Africa;Tananarive, Malagasy Republic; Orroral, Australia; Santiago,Chile; Quito, Ecuador; and Rosman, N.C.

The STDN and mission and data operations are managed bythe Goddard Space Flight Center for NASA's Office of Trackingand Data Acquisition.

THE TELESAT/DELTA TEAM

NASA HeadquartersDr. Noel W. HinnerL Associate Administratorfor Space ScienceJohn M. Thole Deputy Associate Administratorfor Space ScienceJoseph B. Mahon Director, Launch Vehicle andPropulsion Program

I. T. Gillam IV Manager, Small Launch Vehiclesand International ProgramsPeter Eaton Manager, DeltaGerald M. Truszynski Associate Administrator forTracking and Data AcquisitionGoddard Space Flight CeiterDr. John F. Clark DirectorRobert C. Baumann Associate Director of Projects

for Delta

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Kennedy Space CenterLee R. Scherer DirectorJohn J. Neilon Director of Unmanned LaunchOperationsHugh A. Weston, Jr. Manager, Delta OperationsWilliam R. Fletcher, Jr. Spacecraft CoordinatorWayne McCall Chief Engineer, DeltaOperations

Telesat CanadaDavid A. Golden PresidentWilliam Zatychec Manager, Spacecraft Group

ContractorsMcDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co.Huntington Beach, Calif. Delta launch vehicle

Hughes Aircraft Co.Santa Barbara Research CenterSanta Barbara, Calif. Spacecraft

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Telesat-c Press Kit