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Thor 5 sets date, slams Russians
Telenor’s Thor 5 satellite has been given a launch date of February 7. But Telenor has heavily criticised the Russian satellite launch company.
A Proton rocket suffered a catastrophic failure on September 6 when it lost a Japanese satellite (JC-Sat 11) just minutes after launch. The Russian government mounted an investigation, which determined that the cause was a broken cable that should have helped separate the first rocket stage from the second. An American company, International Launch Services, markets the Proton launches to “Western” clients.
Proton has already been used once since the problem with a non-commercial cargo. Its first wholly commercial cargo is scheduled for November 18/19 when a Sirius satellite for SES should launch. According to sources Proton will then be used for at least one other non-commercial flight (a Russian Express AM33 craft) ahead of the Thor mission for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. Also in the Proton launch manifest for this winter are Americom’s craft for SES (AMC-14) and the latest Inmarsat-4 satellite.
The new February 7 date is good news for Telenor, and places fresh capacity into orbit during Q1, which was always the company’s wish. However, CEO Cato Halsaa was not very forgiving. “It has been a nerve-wracking experience, even with the speedy return to launch. We are encouraged that Proton has already had a successful flight, and our insurers are happy and have given approval for launch. But my confidence in the Russians has been shattered. I question whether they can ever be commercial. We have had several rounds of discussion on possible launch dates until now, and it is very difficult to understand why we have been given this fresh date. In truth we have been bumped off several flights and we want to better understand why this is. We have asked several times for this information and it seems difficult to get a reasonable answer. We really do not understand this lack of information, either from Russia or ILS. They need much greater transparency when dealing with customers like us.”
Halsaa says Telenor has already decided to go with a French Arianespace launcher for Thor 6 (in 2009). “We are very happy with the Ariane launch, and the rates we will pay, and with the insurance rates on the launch,” said Halsaa.
Regards Satdude.
Telenor’s Thor 5 satellite has been given a launch date of February 7. But Telenor has heavily criticised the Russian satellite launch company.
A Proton rocket suffered a catastrophic failure on September 6 when it lost a Japanese satellite (JC-Sat 11) just minutes after launch. The Russian government mounted an investigation, which determined that the cause was a broken cable that should have helped separate the first rocket stage from the second. An American company, International Launch Services, markets the Proton launches to “Western” clients.
Proton has already been used once since the problem with a non-commercial cargo. Its first wholly commercial cargo is scheduled for November 18/19 when a Sirius satellite for SES should launch. According to sources Proton will then be used for at least one other non-commercial flight (a Russian Express AM33 craft) ahead of the Thor mission for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. Also in the Proton launch manifest for this winter are Americom’s craft for SES (AMC-14) and the latest Inmarsat-4 satellite.
The new February 7 date is good news for Telenor, and places fresh capacity into orbit during Q1, which was always the company’s wish. However, CEO Cato Halsaa was not very forgiving. “It has been a nerve-wracking experience, even with the speedy return to launch. We are encouraged that Proton has already had a successful flight, and our insurers are happy and have given approval for launch. But my confidence in the Russians has been shattered. I question whether they can ever be commercial. We have had several rounds of discussion on possible launch dates until now, and it is very difficult to understand why we have been given this fresh date. In truth we have been bumped off several flights and we want to better understand why this is. We have asked several times for this information and it seems difficult to get a reasonable answer. We really do not understand this lack of information, either from Russia or ILS. They need much greater transparency when dealing with customers like us.”
Halsaa says Telenor has already decided to go with a French Arianespace launcher for Thor 6 (in 2009). “We are very happy with the Ariane launch, and the rates we will pay, and with the insurance rates on the launch,” said Halsaa.
Regards Satdude.