Telesat (News - Alert), a provider of secure satellite communications, has hit an unfortunate snag with the launch of a 14R Estrela do Sul 2 satellite. Telesat has announced that upon launch, the satellites northern solar array has failed to fully deploy.
Space System/Loral, the manufacturer of the satellite is keeping a close eye on the craft to determine exactly what the repercussions of the failure will be. Aside from the array failure, the satellite is functioning as normal, with ample power being generated from the still functional southern array. While there are ongoing attempts to correct the issues with the satellite, it cannot be rectified until after the remaining deployment maneuvers, and it is expected that the satellite will still function well enough to support the services currently running on the satellite that it is replacing.
There is still hope that the maneuvers that will put the satellite into geosynchronous orbit will shake the currently disabled array free and allow it to give full power to the satellite.
According to the release accompanying this news item, “Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 is to be operated by Telesat's Brazilian subsidiary, Telesat Brasil Capacidade de Satelites Ltda., under an authorization granted by Anatel, the Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications.” The satellite will continue to bolster Telesats fleet of communications satellites all over the Western hemisphere.
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Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Jennifer Russell