Tonedeaf said:
My guess is a resounding NO. No Spaceway 2 launch and no idea of when it will occur puts a damper on any plans from D* unfortunately.
It is now tentatively slated for 07/2005, but being on "STANDBY" may mean it could go earlier than that, but no later than 08/2005 I would think.
The launch of a heavy version of the European rocket Ariane has been postponed after one of the two satellites that make up its payload developed 'a technical problem,' the launch operator Arianespace said.
The launch was due to have taken place on the night of June 24-25 from Europe's space base in Kourou, French Guiana. The Ariane-5 ECA was due to have taken up two satellites, Spaceway 2, for the US pay TV operator DirecTV, and Telkom 2, for the Indonesian telecommunications firm Telkom Indonesia.
In order to adequately diagnose and fix the TELKOM-2 satellite, Orbital Sciences Corporation, the manufacturer of the spacecraft, is immediately returning the spacecraft to its facility in Dulles, VA, USA.
DirecTV’s Spaceway 2 satellite, manufactured by Boeing, has successfully completed all pre-flight testing and is now ready for fueling. Spaceway 2 will be placed on standby. Arianespace is studying all available options to execute the launch as early as possible.
---2nd Story---
The next launch is now set for the night of Thursday, July 7, using an Ariane 5 vehicle to orbit the IPStar satellite for Thailand's Shinsat telecommunications operator. Originally, DirecTV's Spaceway 2 satellite was set to fly on the Ariane vehicle.
A DirecTV spokesperson said the company is in discussions with Arianespace about the re-scheduling development, and that the company's goal is to launch Spaceway 2 in July. The delay is not tied to an issue aboard the Spaceway satellite, which has been ready for launch for two months.
The Spaceway spacecraft is one of four satellites DirecTV is launching during a two-year period as part of an in-orbit expansion. The satellites will enable DirecTV to deliver more than 1,500 local
and more than 150 national HD channels and other advanced programming services to consumers nationwide by 2007.