Boeing set for record-setting launch

By Robin Lloyd
CNN Interactive Senior Writer

August 16, 1999
Web posted at: 4:34 p.m. EDT (2034 GMT)

(CNN) -- Boeing is set to make aerospace history early Tuesday with a Delta II liftoff that would bring the total number of satellites launched since June by the aerospace company to 17.

If successful, the launch will set a record for the most satellites put into orbit within the shortest period of time -- just over two months.

Since June 10, Boeing has launched 16 telecommunications satellites for the Globalstar cellular telephone operation (four at a time) and also put up the FUSE spacecraft for NASA on June 24. All were aboard Delta II rockets.

"The entire Delta team is committed to this goal and has worked very hard over the past few months, fostering Delta's reputation as the industry workhorse," said Jay Witzling, Boeing vice president of Delta II.

The launch, which costs in the $100 million range, is set for 12:37 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida.

The Globalstar phone and paging service is set to go live in late September for targeted customers in North America, Europe and China, said spokesman Mac Jeffery. The service will be available for all customers by the end of the year in those countries and South America, he said.

The Globalstar network involves a constellation of 48 satellites orbiting 1,414 km (876 miles) above the Earth.

Globalstar started with two Delta II launches in 1998 but then wanted to put up 12 at once on a Ukrainian Zenit rocket. The second stage of that rocket failed, so Globalstar, owned primarily by Loral, went back to a combination of Soyuz and Delta II rocket launches carrying four satellites apiece. There are 32 orbiting Earth.

After Tuesday's launch, the plan is for three more launches aboard Soyuz rockets and then a final Delta II launch in December.

The frenzy period for Boeing started with the June 10 launch for Globalstar, followed by similar launches on July 10 and July 24. Boeing brought in about 70 launch workers from Vandenberg Air Force Base to help its Cape Canaveral crew break the record, said spokesman Walter Rice.

"Since we have two launch pads at the Cape we are able to process two launch vehicles at once and that helped us," Rice said.

"It takes about 24 days to process a launch vehicle and get it ready for flight. With this model of Delta II -- it only has four solid rocket motors, that can be done in 21 days," he said.

The first Delta II rocket, designed to put the military's Global Positioning Satellite system into space, went up in 1989. Delta II has a 97.4 percent success rate, Rice said, with only two failures.

Through the end of this year, Delta II rockets also will be used to launch a GPS satellite for the military in September at Cape Canaveral, possibly three Iridium satellites in October from Vandenberg in October and two NASA satellites from Vandenberg in December.