palapa-a press kit

8/7/2019 Palapa-A Press Kit

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%NationalAeronauticsandSpace Administration

Washington. D.C. 20546AC 202 755-8370

For Release IMMEDIATE

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Press Kit Project Palapa-A(Indonesia-A)

RELEASE NO: 76-117

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Contents

GENERAL RELEASE ............................... 1-5

DELTA 2914 LAUNCH VEHICLE ........... 6

TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR PALAPA-A. . . . . . . . . . 7-8LAUNCH OPERATIONS. ...................... 9

DELTA/PALAPA LAUNCH TEAM .......................... 9-10


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At that time some 3,000 inhabited islands among the

13,000 islands in the archipelago will be united with instan-

taneous telephone, radio, TV, telex and data communications

vi a the satellite. This was the reason Indonesian authori-

ties decided on satellite communications -- to provide fi.

immediate and nationwide unity via satellite communications.

There is one Earth station in each of Indonesia's 26

provinces which can transmit and receive from Palapa.thus

binding 120 million Indonesian people together in a way

impossible to achieve without the satellite.

Indonesian officials selected satellite communications

because of tremendous problems to be -overcome in establishingcommunications links among the islands by conventional means.

It just wasn't economically feasible to install wires or

microwave towers over thousands of miles of ocean, islands,

unmapped hills and forests. In addition, it couldn't be

done quickly, and certainly no t instantaneously, as in the

case of Palapa.

The name for the satellite comes from a 14th century

prime minister's-vow no t to ea t the then popular delicacy,

palapa, until the whole of Indonesia was united.

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Although national unity didn't come during the life-

time of the prime minister, Gajah Mada of the Kingdom of

Majapahit, present Indonesian officials say his dream will

now be realized with the satellite.

Forty Earth stations located in the major cities of

the nation form the initial ground'neitwollk of the two-

satellite system, with a total of 50 stations planned.

Palapa-B is scheduled for launch in the fall of 1977.

Spacecraft separation from the third stage of the

Delta rocket takes place about 26 minutes after liftoff.

Control of the satellite then shifts from NASA- to the

Western Union control station in Glenwood, N.J., until

the Jakarta station can take over full control.

The Jakarta station will monitor and control the other

ground stations in the system as well as transmit the sig-

nal that fires the spacecraft's onboard apogee kick motor

which takes it out of its elliptical 11-hour transfer orbit

and places it into synchronous orbit at 83 degrees E. longi-

tude. The apogee kick motor will be fired on the eighth

orbit which will occur about three days after launch.

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The two spacecraft are identical to the Canadian Anik

and Western Union's WESTAR satellites with th e exception

of the antenna which has been modified to provide optimum

illuminatioh of th e Indonesian land mass.

The 12-transponder satellite has an average capacity

of 4,000 voice circuits or 12 simultaneous color television

channels. It measures 3.7 meters (11 feet) in height (in-

cluding the antenna) and 1.9 m (6.2 ft.) in diameter. The

antenna is a shaped beam solar transparent 1.5 m (4.8 ft.)

diameter parabolic dish.

Launch sleight of th e spacecraft is 575 kilograms, (1,267

pounds) including the apogee kick motor which weighs 293 kg

(645 lb.). Design lifetime is seven years.

The Indonesian government wilt reimburse NASA fo r cost

bo f the launch vehicle, launch services and other adminis-

trative costs and ha s arranged fo r al l ground station sup-

port required for th e launch an d control of th e satellite.

There ar e no requirements fo r NASA ground station tracking

or command support .

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The Delta&-project is managed for NASA's Office of Space

t Flight by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for launch opera-

tions. Prime contractor for the Delta rocket is McDonnell

Douglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach, Calif. Prime

contractor for the Palapa spacecraft is Hughes Aircraft

Co., El Segundo, Calif.

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(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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DELTA 2914 LAUNCH VEHICLE

First Stage

The first stage is a McDonnell Douglas extended longtank Thor booster incorporating nine strap-on ThiokolCastor II solid-fuel rocket motors. The booster is poweredby a Rocketdyne RS-27 engine 'Ising liquid oxygen and liquidhydrocarbon propellants. The main engine is gimbal-mountedto provide pitch and yaw control from liftoff to main engineCutoffs (MECO), while roll control

is provided by the boosterliquid fueled vernier engines.

Second Stage

The McDonnell Douglas second stage is powered by a TRWliquid-fuel, pressure-fed TR-20)1 engine that also is gimbal-mounted to provide pitch and yaw control through the second.stage burn. A nitrogen gas system uses eight fixed nozzlesfor roll control during powered and coast flight, as wellas pitch and ya w control during coast and after second stagecutoffs. Two fixed nozzles, fed by the propellant tankhelium pressurization system, provide retrothrust afterthird stage separation. Fifty-two minutes after spacecraftseparation, the second stage will be reignited for a two-second non-operational experimental burn. Data on this burnwill be collected for studies related to future Deltamissions.

Third Stage

The third stage is the TE-364-4 spin-stabilized, solidpropellant Thiokol motor. It is secured in the spin tablemounted to the second stage. The firing of eight solidpropellant rockets fixed to the spin table accomplishesspin-up of the third stage spacecraft assembly.

Injection Into Synchronous Transfer Orbit

The Delta vehicle will inject Palapa-A into a transferorbit having an apogee of , 36,323 km (22,570 mi.), perigee of230 km (150 mi.) and an inclination to the equator of 24.66degrees. At this point NASA/Delta responsibilities end.Command, control, tracking and data analysis become theresponsibilities of the Western Union Control Stations atGlenwood, N.J., and Indonesian Control Station at Jakarta.

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LAUNCH OPERATIONS

The Kennedy Space Center's Expendable VehiclesDirectorate plays a key role in th e preparation and launch

of the thrust-augmented Delta rocket carrying Paiapa-A.

Delta 125 will be launched from Pad.A at Complex 17,

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Delta first stage 'and interstage were erected on

Pad A on June 14. The nine solid strap-on rocket motors

weremounted in place 'around th e base of th e first stage

June 15-16 and second stage was erected on June 17.

The Palapa-A spacecraft was received during early

June, checked out and mated with th e Delta third stage.The third stage/spacecraft assembly is to be mated withDelta on June 30 and the payload fairing which will pro-

tect th e spacecraft during it s flight through th e atmos-

phere is to be erected atop th e vehicle on July 6.

DELTA/PALAPA LAUNCH TEAM

NASA Headquarters

John F. Yardley Associate Administratorfo r Space Flight

Joseph B. Mlahon Director of ExpendableLaunch Vehicle Programs

Peter T. Eaton Manager, Delta Program

Goddard Space Flight Canter

Dr. Robert S,. Cooper Director

Robert Lindley Director of ProjectsManagement

Charles R. Gunn Delta Project Manager

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Goddard Center (cont'd.)

William R. Russell Deputy Delta ProjectManager, Technical

Robert Goss Chief, Mission Analysisan d Integration Branch,Delta Project Office andNASA Project Manager fo rPalapa Program

William Burrowbridge Delta Mission Integration

Engineer

Thomas Spencer Network Support Manager

Kennedy Space Center

Lee R. Scherer Director

Miles Ross Deputy Director

Dr. Walter J. Kapryan Director, Space VehiclesOperations

George F. Page Director, ExpendableVehicles

Hugh A. Weston, Jr . Chief, Delta OperationsDivision

Wayne L. McCall Chief Engineer, DeltaOperations

Lawrence F. Kruse Spacecraft Coordinator

Jun 1

June 18, 1976

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