June 10, 1999
Web posted at: 2:50 p.m. EDT (1850 GMT)

The Delta II rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Thursday with a payload of four Globalstar communications satellites

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -- A Boeing Co. Delta II rocket carried four satellites for the Globalstar worldwide phone network into orbit Thursday, providing a much-needed boost for a U.S. commercial space industry reeling from a string of costly failures.

The 12-story rocket leaped off its Cape Canaveral launch pad in a flash of flame and smoke at 9:48 a.m. EDT after two days of delay forced by stormy skies at the Florida launch site.

It was the first successful unmanned rocket launch from Cape Canaveral since a string of expensive failures in April and May that left three satellites in the wrong orbits. The last rocket to fail was a Delta III, an upgraded version of the Delta II.

Other recent U.S. launch failures led to the loss of an Earth imaging satellite launched from California in April and the explosions of Titan 4 and Delta 3 rockets in August 1998. The launch failures, which cost more than $3 billion, disrupted the mission schedule for almost every U.S. aerospace company.

The successful launch was also a relief for Globalstar. The international consortium led by Loral Space and Communications suffered a major launch failure in 1998 when a Ukrainian Zenit rocket exploded soon after liftoff, destroying 12 of the company's satellites.

Following that loss, Globalstar decided to put its faith in the Boeing-built Delta II. The company plans four more Delta II missions this year. The four satellites launched Thursday join 20 already in orbit. Eight satellites were launched last year by the Delta II, and Russian Soyuz rockets have carried 12 into space this year.

Globalstar needs 32 orbiting satellites for the planned start of its commercial phone service in September. When the system is operational it will allow calls to be made with hand-held phones from virtually anywhere in the world.

Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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