Orbital Test Satellite

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OTS 2
Orbital Test Satellite - artist's impression.jpg
Artist's impression of the Orbital Test Satellite
NamesOrbital Test Satellite
OTS
Mission typeTechnology demonstration,
Communications satellite
OperatorEuropean Space Agency (ESA)
COSPAR ID1978-044A
SATCAT no.10855
Websitehttp://www.esa.int/
Mission duration3 years (planned)
12 years, 7 months, 22 days (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftOTS 2
Spacecraft typeOTS
BusOTS Bus
ManufacturerBritish Aerospace (BAe) / Matra Marconi Space (MMS)[1]
Launch mass865 kg (1,907 lb)
Dry mass390 kg (860 lb)
Dimensions2.4 × 2.1 × 1.7 m (7 ft 10 in × 6 ft 11 in × 5 ft 7 in)
Span: 9.3 m on orbit
Power600 watts
Start of mission
Launch date11 May 1978, 22:59:00 UTC
RocketDelta 3914 (s/n D141)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17A
ContractorMcDonnell Douglas
Entered serviceJuly 1978
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
Deactivated2 January 1991
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude10° East
Transponders
Band6 Ku-band
Coverage areaEurope
OTS programme
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The Orbital Test Satellite (OTS) programme was an experimental satellite system inherited by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1975 from its predecessor, the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO). OTS was the first three-axis-stabilised Ku-band satellite, and its design has inspired the conception of almost 30 other satellites in Europe. Its successors, the (MARECS) and (ECS) series of satellites, consolidated Europe's position in communications satellite technology and manufacturing.[2]

OTS 1[]

The first of the pair of OTS satellites, OTS 1, was launched on 13 September 1977 at 11:31 pm UTC at the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.[3] However, it was destroyed 54 seconds later due to its United States Delta launcher exploding. The failure was caused by a horizontal crack in the solid propellent core of one of the strap-on boosters, which caused the core gases to burn through the casing and ignite the fuel in the main tank of the launcher. The debris of the satellite landed in the Atlantic Ocean.[1][4][5][6]

OTS 2[]

OTS 2 was successfully launched on 11 May 1978 at 10:59 pm UTC at the same launch complex as OTS 1,[3][7] using the same Delta launch vehicle. It became one of the first geostationary communications satellites to carry six Ku-band transponders and was capable of handling 7,200 telephone circuits. With a mass of approximately 865 kg (1,907 lb), the OTS satellite bus was hexagonal with overall dimensions of 2.4 by 2.1 x 1.7 m. Two solar panels with a span of 9.3 m provided 600 watts of electrical power.[1]

British Aerospace was the prime contractor from the European MESH consortium which developed the satellite. It completed its primary mission in 1984 after which the spacecraft was involved in a 6-year program of experiments, including the testing of a new attitude control technique taking advantage of solar radiation pressure forces. In January 1991, OTS 2 was moved out of the geostationary ring and into a graveyard orbit.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Display: OTS 2 1978-044A". NASA. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "The Telecommunications Programme". ESA. August 1995. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "ECS/OTS". astronautix.com. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Loss of the OTS 1 Satellite". Satellite Spy. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Display: OTS". NASA. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Experimenters prepare for tests with the first Orbital Test Satellite". IEEE Xplore. IET. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Display trajectory: OTS 2 1978-044A". NASA. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
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