Final preparations are
underway at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., as the Delta II team
prepares to launch the Thor III satellite on June 9.
The satellite will be delivered to geosynchronous transfer orbit
for Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc., and Telenor
Satellite Services of Norway, by a Boeing Delta II three-stage expendable launch vehicle.
There are two launch windows. The first window opens at 6:33 p.m.
and ends at 6:54 p.m. EDT. The second launch window opens at 8:35 p.m.
and closes at 9:20 p.m. EDT. Spacecraft separation will occur
approximately 90 minutes after liftoff.
“Flexibility has become a Delta hallmark,” said Jay Witzling, Boeing
vice president of Delta II and Titan programs. “Our team has
demonstrated this by being prepared to launch Thor III less than 13
months after signing the contract with Hughes. The Delta team’s
aggressive schedule is responding to meet the growing launch
requirements of our telecommunications customers,” Witzling said.
The Thor III satellite, built by Hughes Electronics, will add
additional capacity for television, telephone and data information
services to Telenor’s international communication system in Nordic
countries and central and eastern Europe. The estimated life span
of Thor III is 11.5 years.
Thor III will join Thor I and Thor II, which were successfully
launched by Boeing Delta II rockets in August 1989, and May 1997
respectively.
Engineering, manufacturing and program management of the Delta II
are led by Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, based in Huntington
Beach, Calif., with final assembly in Pueblo, Colo. The Delta II
is powered by the Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine, built by Boeing
in Canoga Park, Calif.
Boeing has accomplished 16 launches in slightly more than 12 months,
delivering 58 satellites. Over the last decade, the Delta II has
logged an impressive 97 percent success rate — making it one of
the most reliable launch vehicles in the world today.
Telenor is a leading company in the growing satellite communications
business in the Scandinavian region and in other worldwide markets.
Hughes Space and Communications International is a unit of Hughes
Electronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial
communications satellites. The company has built approximately 40
percent of the satellites currently in operation.
