Orion 3 (satellite)
Encyclopedia
Orion 3 was an American
spacecraft which was intended for use by Loral Space & Communications
as a geostationary
communications satellite. It was to have been positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude
of 139° East, from where it was to have provided communications services to Asia
and Oceania
. Due to a malfunction during launch, it was instead delivered to a useless low Earth orbit
.
Orion 3 was constructed by Hughes Space and Communications
, based around a HS-601HP satellite bus
. It was equipped with 10 G/H band (IEEE C band) and 33 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponder
s, and at launch it had a mass of 4300 kilograms (9,479.9 lb). The satellite was expected to remain operational for around fifteen years
, at 01:00:00 GMT on 5 May 1999. The first stage and solid rocket motors performed as expected, and the first burn of the second stage was conducted as planned, injecting the spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Following this, the rocket entered a coast phase, before the second stage restarted for what was planned to be a 162 second burn to insert Orion 3 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Around 3.4 seconds after igniting, the RL-10-B-2 engine of the second stage cut off after a malfunction was detected, leaving the spacecraft in an orbit of around 160 by 1284 km (99.4 by 797.8 mi), with 29.5° inclination. It was the second failure of an RL-10 powered rocket in less than a week, after the Centaur
upper stage of a Titan IV
rocket failed during the launch of USA-143 on 30 April, although this incident was later attributed to a programming error.
An investigation later determined that the failure of Orion 3's launch was due to the wall of the RL-10 combustion chamber
being breached. The investigation found that it was likely that the breach in the chamber was along one of the seams where the chamber had been soldered. On this engine, one of those seams had failed during a static firing, and despite subsequent repair, it was suspected that the same seam had failed again.
The orbit of the Orion 3 satellite was raised slightly, and its inclination reduced, using onboard propulsion. It was left in an orbit with a perigee of 421 kilometres (261.6 mi), an apogee of 1317 kilometres (818.3 mi), and 29° inclination. Its operators received US$247 million in insurance for the loss of the satellite, which was turned over to its insurers. The insurers considered asking NASA
to fly a Space Shuttle
mission to attach a solid rocket motor to the satellite, which would have been used to correct its orbit. The Shuttle mission would have been similar to STS-49
, which reboosted Intelsat 603 following the failure of its launch on a Commercial Titan III
. Unlike with Intelsat 603, however, Orion 3 would have needed to perform a Lunar
flyby to reduce inclination. NASA considered attaching cameras and a scientific payload to the satellite for the flyby, however reboosting the satellite was subsequently deemed to not be sufficiently cost-effective, and Orion 3 was abandoned.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
spacecraft which was intended for use by Loral Space & Communications
Loral Space & Communications
Loral Space & Communications Inc. is a satellite communications company headed by Michael B. Targoff and incorporated in Delaware. The company was formed in 1996 from the remnants of Loral Corporation when Loral divested its defense electronics and system integration businesses to Lockheed Martin...
as a geostationary
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
communications satellite. It was to have been positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
of 139° East, from where it was to have provided communications services to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. Due to a malfunction during launch, it was instead delivered to a useless low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
.
Orion 3 was constructed by Hughes Space and Communications
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
, based around a HS-601HP satellite bus
Satellite bus
A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...
. It was equipped with 10 G/H band (IEEE C band) and 33 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s, and at launch it had a mass of 4300 kilograms (9,479.9 lb). The satellite was expected to remain operational for around fifteen years
Launch
The Orion 3 satellite was launched on the second flight of the Delta III rocket, using the standard 8930 configuration. The launch occurred from Space Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force StationCape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at 01:00:00 GMT on 5 May 1999. The first stage and solid rocket motors performed as expected, and the first burn of the second stage was conducted as planned, injecting the spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Following this, the rocket entered a coast phase, before the second stage restarted for what was planned to be a 162 second burn to insert Orion 3 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Around 3.4 seconds after igniting, the RL-10-B-2 engine of the second stage cut off after a malfunction was detected, leaving the spacecraft in an orbit of around 160 by 1284 km (99.4 by 797.8 mi), with 29.5° inclination. It was the second failure of an RL-10 powered rocket in less than a week, after the Centaur
Centaur (rocket stage)
Centaur is a rocket stage designed for use as the upper stage of space launch vehicles. Centaur boosts its satellite payload to geosynchronous orbit or, in the case of an interplanetary space probe, to or near to escape velocity...
upper stage of a Titan IV
Titan IV
The Titan IV family of space boosters were used by the U.S. Air Force. They were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. At the time of its introduction, the Titan IV was the "largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force."The...
rocket failed during the launch of USA-143 on 30 April, although this incident was later attributed to a programming error.
An investigation later determined that the failure of Orion 3's launch was due to the wall of the RL-10 combustion chamber
Combustion chamber
A combustion chamber is the part of an engine in which fuel is burned.-Internal combustion engine:The hot gases produced by the combustion occupy a far greater volume than the original fuel, thus creating an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber...
being breached. The investigation found that it was likely that the breach in the chamber was along one of the seams where the chamber had been soldered. On this engine, one of those seams had failed during a static firing, and despite subsequent repair, it was suspected that the same seam had failed again.
The orbit of the Orion 3 satellite was raised slightly, and its inclination reduced, using onboard propulsion. It was left in an orbit with a perigee of 421 kilometres (261.6 mi), an apogee of 1317 kilometres (818.3 mi), and 29° inclination. Its operators received US$247 million in insurance for the loss of the satellite, which was turned over to its insurers. The insurers considered asking NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to fly a Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission to attach a solid rocket motor to the satellite, which would have been used to correct its orbit. The Shuttle mission would have been similar to STS-49
STS-49
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.35°*Period: 90.6 min-Space walks:* Thuot and Hieb – EVA 1*EVA 1 Start: 10 May 1992 – 20:40 UTC...
, which reboosted Intelsat 603 following the failure of its launch on a Commercial Titan III
Commercial Titan III
The Commercial Titan III, also known as CT-3 or CT-III was an American expendable launch system, developed by Martin Marietta during the late 1980s and flown four times during the early 1990s. It was derived from the Titan 34D, and was originally proposed as a medium-lift expendable launch system...
. Unlike with Intelsat 603, however, Orion 3 would have needed to perform a Lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
flyby to reduce inclination. NASA considered attaching cameras and a scientific payload to the satellite for the flyby, however reboosting the satellite was subsequently deemed to not be sufficiently cost-effective, and Orion 3 was abandoned.