This Telstar, a ground spare currently in the care of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, is what gave birth to a huge space-based business: video by satellite. On this day in 1962, a video link between the U.S. and France proved what Sir Arthur conceived in 1947.
Telesat can’t catch a break. Telstar-14/Estrela do Sul, a spacecraft that’s had on-orbit problems for years. Its replacement launches beautifully, but one of the solar arrays isn’t fully deployed.
Too many moving parts, rocket scientists. Better to use exploding bolts!
The report, via Space News…
The Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 telecommunications satellite launched May 21 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays, a defect that, if permanent, will curtail owner Telesat Canada’s growth plans in South America, Telesat and satellite builder Space Systems/Loral announced May 25.
The satellite’s south array has fully deployed and is providing power, but the north array has not. Ottawa-based Telesat said that if the situation is not corrected, Telstar 14R will be able to provide “at a minimum” the same level of service of the satellite it is replacing, the Telstar 14/Estrela do Sol spacecraft launched in 2004.
