E -== - 1 'F}-~-

National Aeronautics and

Soace Ad minsiration
Washington DC 20546
AC,202 7558370

For Release IMMEDIATE

Press Kit Project !larisat-C

10ULhAS}: NO: 76-156

Contents

GENF.AL RELEASE .... ............................. 1-3

DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE............................. 4

STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AID FIGURES ............ 5-6

TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR !IARISAT-C ............. 7-8

NASA TEAM4. ....................................... 9-10

COMSAT GENERAL 'ORP ............................. 10

National Aeronautcs and
Space Administration
Wastngtor D C 20546
AC202 755 8:'?0

e-.r Rneest
Bill O'Donnell
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. ILr;rDIAAFE
(Phone: 202/755-3ngo)

RELEASF N10: 76-15(

NASA TO LAU.NC!H THIPD !M1ARISAT FOR CO(-MSA GENrERA.' CORP.

The third r-aritine satellite (Marisat) will he launched

by NASA for CO?.SA" General Corp. frorm Cape Canaveral, Fla.,

about Oct. 14 on board a Delta roc!et.

The spacecraft is thv teiird in the new M!arisat svsten.

'larisat satellites now staetonnd over t1!e Atlantic an4 Pacific

Oceans are providinc cninmur.ications to the U.S. '!avy, as well

as the corumercial shippi,.g and o' shore industric>s.

The Navy will increase its use of 'larisat hy leasina 1t1!'

capacity in the third *larisat, which is to he positioned over

the Indian Ocean. "arisat-C will I>e place(' into svnchronous

orbit over the e^uator at 73 dereers 1. lonqitude.

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 -2.-

The first spacecraft, 'Iarisat-!, was launchee success-

fully Feb. in and is in orbit over the Atlantic at l' deqrcen

1?. longitude. The second, Ilarisat-2, i-as launched June '

and is in orbit over the mie-Pacific at 17f.5 dearees E.

longitude. The soacecraft were placed in orbit b-, Dlnta

launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Both in-orbit spacecraft provide cormunications servric-

to the Navy as well as full-tir-2 corviercial Voice anc' data

communications to the maritiLe industr-. Initially, !arisat-C

will be used onlv y)vthe Navy.

The nolta will place t:is 655-kilograr. (l,4A'-pound)

:Iarisat-C into a highly elliptical transfer orbit of about

36,79n kiloreters (12,3nn milis) with an inclination of 16

degrees to the Earth's enuator. A 293-1'q (646-lb.) apowie

kick motor augmented b:' the onhoard hydrazine svster' is

scheduled to circularize the elliptical transfqr orbit into

an Earth-synchronous 35,788-hr (22,3nO-ni.) ?.5 degree in-

clined orbit on the fourth apoqee or about one ancl a 'lialf

days after launch.

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orbit
At this altitude the speed of the spacecraft in
hover over the
matches the rotational speed of the Earth to
keep ?Iarisat-C
Earth's surface. Small gas jets on board will
tu receive and
on station and oriented properly toward Earth
the satellite
retransmit signals. From this vantage point
narth's surface.
can serve an area of about one third of the

cost of the
COMSAT General will reimburse PASA for the

launch vehicle, launch services and other administrative

costs. CONSAT General has arranged for all ground station
satellite.
support required for the launch and control of the
tracking
There are no requirements for TIASA ground station
launch vehicle.
or command support after separation from the

of Space
The Delta project is managed for NASA's Office
Greenhelt, "d.
Flight by NASA's Goddard Space Fliqht Center,
opera-
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for launch
is McDonnell
tions. Prime contractor for the Delta rocket
calif. Prime
Douglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach,
Aircraft,
contractor for the :iarisat spacecraft is Hughes
El Segundo, Calif.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROU4D IN1FORMrATION FOLLOWS.)

 -4 -

DELTA LAUNCH! VEHICLE

First Stage

The first stage is a McDonnell Douglas modified Thor

booster incorporating nine strap-on Thiokol solid-fuel rocket
motors. The booster is powered bv a Rocketdyne encine using
liquid oxygen and liquid hydrocarbon propellants. The main
engine is gimbal-mounted to provide pitch and yaw control
from liftoff to main engine cutoff (UT.CO).
Second Stage
The second stage is powered by a TRI; licuid-fuel,
pressure-fed engine that also is gimbal-mounted to provide
pitch and yaw control throuqh the two second stage burns.
A nitrogen gas system uses eight fixed nozzles for roll
control during powered and coast flight, as well as pitch
and yaw control during coast and after second stage cutoffs.
Two fixed nozzles, fed by the propellant tank helium
pressurization system, provide retrothrust after
third stage separation. Twentv-two minutes after space-
craft separation the second stage will be reignited for a
one-second burn. Data on this burn will be collected for
studies related to future Delta missions.
Third Stage
The third stage is the TE-364-4 spin-stabilized, solid
propellant Thiokol motor. It is secured in the spin table
mounted to the second stage. The firing of eight solid
propellant rockets fixed to the spin table accomplishes spin-
up of the third stage spacecraft assembly.
Injection Into Synchronous Orbit
The D vavehicle will inject P'*arisat-C into a transfer
orbit having an apogee of 36,762 km (22,827 mi.). At this
point NASA/Delta responsibilities end. Command, control,
tracking and data analysis become the responsibilities of
the COMSAT and COMSAT General Control Center in Washinqton,
D.C. The centers will, for example, command the apogee kick
motor on the fourth apogee (43 sec. burn) two days after
launr:h, placing the spacecraft into a qeosynchronous orbit
of 35,788 km (22,300 mi.).

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STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES

The Delta has the following general characteristics:

Height: 35.4 meters (116 feet) including shroud

Maximum Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.) without attached

solids

Liftoff Weight: 133,180 kg (2U3,000 lb.)

Lif off Thrust: 1,741,475 newtons (391,343 lb.)

including strap-on solids

First Stage

(Liquid only) consists of an extended long tank Thor,

produced by McDonnell Douglas. The RS-27 engines are pro-
duced by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.
The stage has the following characteristics:

Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.)

Height: 21.3 n (70 ft.)

Propellants: RJ-l kerosene as the fuel and liquid

oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer

Thrust: 912,000 'N (205,000 lb.)

Burning Time: About 3.48 minutes

Weight: About 84,600 kg (186,000 lb.) 2xciudini

straD-on solids

Strap-on solids consist of nine solid propellant rockets

produced by the Thiokol Chemical Corp., with the followinc
features:
Diameter: 0.8 m (31 in.)

Height: 7 mn (23.6 ft.)

Total Weight: 40,3nO kg (88,650 1b.) for nine
4,475 kg ( 9,850 lb.) for each

Thrust: 2,083,000 N (468,OOC lb.) for nine

231,400 N ( 52,000 lb.) each
Burning Time: 38 seconds

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 Second Stage

Produced by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., using

a TRW. TR-201 rockct engine; major contractors for the vehicle
inertial guidance system located on the second stage are
Hamilton Standard and Teledyne.

Propellants: Licuid, consists of Aerozene 5n for the

fuel and nitroqen tetroxide (N 2 0 4 ) for
the oxidizer.

Diameter: 1.5 m (5 ft.) plus 2.4 m (8 ft.) attached

ring.

Height: 6.4 m (21 ft.)

Weight: 6,180 ka (13,596 lb.)

Thrust: About 42,923 N (9,650 lb.)

Total Burning Time: 335 seconds

Third S-age

Thiokol Chemical Co. TE-364-4 motor.

Propellants: Solid

Height: 1.4 m (4.5 ft.)

Diameter: 1 m (3 ft.)

Weight: 1,160 kg (2,560 lb.)

Thrust: 61,858 11 (13,900 lb.)

Burning Time: 44 seconds

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-9-

NASA TEAMS

NASA Headauarters

John F. Yardlev Associate Administrator

for Space Flight

Joseph B. Mahon Director of Expendable

Launch Vehicle Prograrms

Peter T. Eaton Manaqer, Delta Programr

Goddard Space Flight Center

Robert S. Cooper Director

Robert Lindley Director of Projects

Tecwyn Roberts Director of Networks

Albert G. Ferris Director of Mission and

Data Ooerations

Charles R. Gunn Delta Prniect 'lanager

William R. Russell Deputy Delta Project

Manager, Technical

Robert Goss Chief, MIission Analysis

and Integration Branch,
Delta Proiect Office

William Burrowbridge Deltai Mission Integration

Enaineer

Richard Sclaf ford Network Support Manager

Dale Call Network Director

Robley E. Sawyer Network Operations Manager

Wayne Murry Network Operations Manager

Walter V. Frazier NASA Cormunications Enaineer

-re-
 - X---------- , 1
* t

i .1I
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Kennedy Space Center

Lee R. Scherer Director

Miles Ross Deputy Director

Dr. Walter J. Kapryan Director, Space Vehicles

Operations

George F. Page Director, Expendable

Vehicles

Hugh A. Weston, Jr. Chief, Delta Operations

Division

Bert L. GLenZville Complex 17 Operations

Manager

Edmund M. Chaffin Spacecraft Coordinator

*COMSAT GENERAL CORP.

Edward J. Martin Assistant Vice President,

Mobile Systems, COMSAT
General

Eugene T. Jilg Assistant Vice President,

Engineering, COMSAT

Satellite
*COMSAT General is a subsidiary of Comrmiunications
Corp. (COMSAT).

Septemnher 17, 1 '71j