marisat-c press kit

8/7/2019 Marisat-C Press Kit

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National Aeronautics an dSoace AdminsirationWashington DC 20546AC 202 7558370

For Release IMMEDIATE

Press Kit Project !larisat-C10ULhAS}: NO: 76-156

ContentsGENF.AL RELEASE .... ............................. 1-3DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE............................. 4

STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AID FIGURES ............ 5-6

TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR !IARISAT-C ............. 7-8NASA TEAM4. ...................................... 9-10COMSAT GENERAL 'ORP ............................. 10


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National Aeronautcs andSpace AdministrationWastngtor D C 20546AC202 755 8:'?0

e-.r RneestBill O'DonnellHeadquarters, Washington, D.C. ILr;rDIAAFE(Phone: 202/755-3ngo)

RELEASF N10: 76-15(

NASA TO LAU.NC!H THIPD !M1ARISAT FOR CO(-MSA GENrERA.' CORP.

The third r-aritine satellite (Marisat) will he launchedby NASA for CO?.SA" General Corp. frorm Cape Canaveral, Fla.,about Oct. 14 on board a Delta roc!et.

The spacecraft is thv teiird in the new M!arisat svsten.' larisat satellites now staetonnd over t1!e Atlantic an4 PacificOceans are providinc cninmur.ications to the U.S. '!avy, as wellas the corumercial shippi,.g and o' shore industric>s.

The Navy will increase its use of 'larisat hy leasina 1t1!'capacity in the third *larisat, which is to he positioned overthe Indian Ocean. "arisat-C will I>e place(' into svnchronousorbit over the e^uator at 73 dereers 1. lonqitude.

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The first spacecraft, 'Iarisat-!, was launchee success-fully Feb. in and is in orbit over the Atlantic at l' deqrcen1?. longitude. The second, Ilarisat-2, i-as launched June 'and is in orbit over the mie-Pacific at 17f.5 dearees E.longitude. The soacecraft were placed in orbit b-, Dlntalaunch vehicles from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Both in-orbit spacecraft provide cormunications servric-to the Navy as well as full-tir-2 corviercial Voice anc' datacommunications to the maritiLe industr-. Initially, !arisat-Cwill be used onlv y)vhe Navy.

The nolta will place t:is 655-kilograr. (l,4A'-pound):Iarisat-C into a highly elliptical transfer orbit of about36,79n kiloreters (12,3nn milis) with an inclination of 16degrees to the Earth's enuator. A 293-1'q (646-lb.) apowiekick motor augmented b: ' the onhoard hydrazine svster' isscheduled to circularize the elliptical transfqr orbit intoan Earth-synchronous 35,788-hr (22,3nO-ni.) ?.5 degree in-clined orbit on the fourth apoqee or about one ancl a 'lialfdays after launch.

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At this altitude the speed of the spacecraft in orbitmatches the rotational speed of the Earth to hover over theEarth's surface. Small gas jets on board will keep ?Iarisat-Con station and oriented properly toward Earth tu receive andretransmit signals. From this vantage point the satellitecan serve an area of about one third of the narth's surface.

COMSAT General will reimburse PASA for the cost of thelaunch vehicle, launch services and other administrativecosts. CONSAT General has arranged for all ground stationsupport required fo r the launch and control of the satellite.There are no requirements for TIASA ground station tracking

or command support after separationfrom the launch vehicle.

The Delta project is managed for NASA's Office of SpaceFlight by NASA's Goddard Space Fliqht Center, Greenhelt, "d.Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for launch opera-tions. Prime contractor for the Delta rocket is McDonnellDouglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach, calif. Primecontractor for the :iarisat spacecraft is Hughes Aircraft,El Segundo, Calif.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROU4D IN1FORMrATION FOLLOWS.)


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DELTA LAUNCH! VEHICLE

First StageThe first stage is a McDonnell Douglas modified Thorbooster incorporating nine strap-on Thiokol solid-fuel rocketmotors. The booster is powered bv a Rocketdyne encine usingliquid oxygen and liquid hydrocarbon propellants. The mainengine is gimbal-mounted to provide pitch and yaw controlfrom liftoff to main engine cutoff (UT.CO).

Second StageThe second stage is powered by a TRI; licuid-fuel,pressure-fed engine that also is gimbal-mounted to providepitch and yaw control throuqh the two second stage burns.A nitrogen gas system uses eight fixed nozzles for rollcontrol during powered and coast flight, as well as pitchand yaw control during coast and after second stage cutoffs.Two fixed nozzles, fed by the propellant tank heliumpressurization system, provide retrothrust afterthird stage separation. Twentv-two minutes after space-craft separation the second stage will be reignited for aone-second burn. Data on this burn will be collected for

studies related to future Delta missions.Third Stage

The third stage is the TE-364-4 spin-stabilized, solidpropellant Thiokol motor. It is secured in the spin tablemounted to the second stage. The firing of eight solidpropellant rockets fixed to the spin table accomplishes spin-up of the third stage spacecraft assembly.Injection Into Synchronous Orbit

The D va ehicle will inject P'*arisat-C into a transferorbit having an apogee of 36,762 km (22,827 mi.). At thispoint NASA/Delta responsibilities end. Command, control,tracking and data analysis become the responsibilities ofthe COMSAT and COMSAT General Control Center in Washinqton,D.C. The centers will, for example, command the apogee kickmotor on the fourth apogee (43 sec. burn) two days afterlaunr:h, placing the spacecraft into a qeosynchronous orbitof 35,788 km (22,300 mi.).

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STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES

The Delta has the following general characteristics:Height: 35.4 meters (116 feet) including shroudMaximum Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.) without attachedsolidsLiftoff Weight: 133,180 kg (2U3,000 lb.)Lif off Thrust: 1,741,475 newtons (391,343 lb.)

including strap-on solidsFirst Stage

(Liquid only) consists of an extended long tank Thor,produced by McDonnell Douglas. The RS-27 engines are pro-duced by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.The stage has the following characteristics:

Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.)Height: 21.3 n (70 ft.)Propellants: RJ-l kerosene as the fuel and liquidoxygen (LOX) as the oxidizerThrust: 912,000 'N (205,000 lb.)Burning Time: About 3.48 minutesWeight: About 84,600 kg (186,000 lb.) 2xciudinistraD-on solidsStrap-on solids consist of nine solid propellant rocketsproduced by the Thiokol Chemical Corp., with the followincfeatures:Diameter: 0.8 m (31 in.)Height: 7 mn (23.6 ft.)Total Weight: 40,3nO kg (88,650 1b.) for nine4,475 kg ( 9,850 lb.) for eachThrust: 2,083,000 N (468,OOC lb.) for nine231,400 N ( 52,000 lb.) eachBurning Time: 38 seconds

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Second StageProduced by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., usinga TRW. TR-201 rockct engine; major contractors fo r the vehicle

inertial guidance system located on the second stage areHamilton Standard and Teledyne.Propellants: Licuid, consists of Aerozene 5n fo r th efuel and nitroqen tetroxide (N2 04 ) fo rthe oxidizer.Diameter: 1.5 m (5 ft.) plus 2.4 m (8 ft.) attachedring.Height: 6.4 m (21 ft.)Weight: 6,180 ka (13,596 lb.)Thrust: About 42,923 N (9,650 lb.)Total Burning Time: 335 seconds

Third S-ageThiokol Chemical Co. TE-364-4 motor.Propellants: SolidHeight: 1.4 m (4.5 ft.)Diameter: 1 m (3 ft.)Weight: 1,160 kg (2,560 lb.)Thrust: 61,858 11 (13,900 lb.)Burning Time: 44 seconds

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-9-NASA TEAMS

NASA HeadauartersJohn F. Yardlev Associate Administratorfo r Space FlightJoseph B. Mahon Director of ExpendableLaunch Vehicle PrograrmsPeter T. Eaton Manaqer, Delta Programr

Goddard Space Flight Center

Robert S. Cooper DirectorRobert Lindley Director of ProjectsTecwyn Roberts Director of NetworksAlbert G. Ferris Director of Mission andData OoerationsCharles R. Gunn Delta Prniect 'lanagerWilliam R. Russell Deputy Delta ProjectManager, TechnicalRobert Goss Chief, MIission Analysisand Integration Branch,Delta Proiect OfficeWilliam Burrowbridge Deltai Mission IntegrationEnaineerRichard Sclaf ford Network Support ManagerDale Call Network DirectorRobley E. Sawyer Network Operations ManagerWayne Murry Network Operations ManagerWalter V. Frazier NASA Cormunications Enaineer

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Kennedy Space CenterLee R. Scherer DirectorMiles Ross Deputy DirectorDr. Walter J. Kapryan Director, Space VehiclesOperationsGeorge F. Page Director, ExpendableVehiclesHugh A. Weston, Jr. Chief, Delta Operations

DivisionBert L. GLenZville Complex 17 OperationsManagerEdmund M. Chaffin Spacecraft Coordinator

*COMSAT GENERAL CORP.

Edward J. Martin Assistant Vice President,Mobile Systems, COMSATGeneral

Eugene T. Jilg Assistant Vice President,Engineering, COMSAT

*COMSAT General is a subsidiary of Comrmiunications SatelliteCorp. (COMSAT).

Septemnher 17, 1 '71j

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