CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The RCA Satcom III-R commercial communications satellite, designed to replace a satellite lost in space in December, 1979, was fired into a clear, starry sky aboard a Delta Rocket Thursday night.
The launch at 8:38 p.m. EST was eight minutes late because of unpredictable winds at 40,000 feet that could have hindered the flight. Technicians put up a series of weather balloons until they determined the winds had calmed.
Space engineers said early in the flight there were no problems.
Once in orbit, the new satellite will join two sister satellites, Satcoms I and II, which have been orbiting since 1975 and 1976.
The original Satcom III satellite was launched successfully in early December, 1979, but it disappeared after a spacecraft motor was fired three days later in an attempt to place it in a stationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator.
Despite sophisticated tracking systems, the satellite was never located and its fate remains unknown.
RCA's American Commmunications Inc., which owns the satellite system, collected about $80 million in insurance for the lost satellite. Officials said the firm broke about even.
A number of circuits on another satellite had to be leased to take care of the communication traffic.
The new satellite, also insured for $80 million, is designed to handle cable television networks. Traffic will be taken off of Satcom I and put on the Satcom III-R. This will free Satcom I for telephone and data relays for commercial and government customers
The satellite, weighing 2,385 pounds, moved into an eliptical transfer orbit ranging from 115 miles to 22,205 miles in space a few minutes after launch. A spacecraft motor is scheduled to be fired Sunday night to place it in a stationary orbit, 22,300 miles above the equator over the Pacific Ocean west of South America.
Delta rocket launches are expected to continue for several years, due to delays in the space shuttle program and demand for satellite launches.
'I believe we will be launching Delta rockets for about 10 years,' said Charles Gay, director of launch operations for NASA. 'We already have 68 payloads which are double booked on both the shuttle and a Delta.'
