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From: rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Re: Ariane destroyed
Message-ID: <528@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Sep-85 16:35:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: riccb.528
Posted: Sat Sep 14 16:35:21 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 09:48:42 EDT
References: <536@petrus.UUCP>
Organization: Rockwell International - Downers Grove, IL
Lines: 25

I also heard opinions expressed that not only will satellite insurance be
difficult to obtain from now on, but that it could actually become impos-
sible.  I was thinking that maybe this would only be true of launches from
expendable launch vehicles (ELVs, or "elves") since the only satellites
that have been total losses were on ELVs, not the shuttle.  TDRS-A, Westar
VI, and Palapa B-2 have all been nudged into their proper orbits, even
though their motors failed in one way or another.  And Syncom IV-3 has
been activated and looks like it may very well overcome manufacturing
problems and reach its proper orbit.  Not to mention the Solar Max retrieval
and on-orbit repair.  The shuttle not only gets satellites to low Earth
orbit safely every time, it provides a means to repair satellites that have
had failures in upper stages after reaching LEO.  It seems like insurance
rates for satellites deployed from the shuttle should go way down while
those for Ariane should go way up.  I think this demonstrates what I always
felt was a big advantage for deployment by shuttle rather than by ELV.  And
the latest Ariane failure (bringing their failure rate up to 20%) is not
isolated by any means.  Just two weeks ago, a Titan III and a USAF recon-
nissance satellite were lost after launch at Vandenberg AFB.  Cost:  an
estimated $150 million.  Strictly speaking, the Space Transportation
System is one launcher which has NEVER failed to get a payload into orbit.
Doesn't it seem likely that this will finally cause the insurance and
satellite communications industries to realize that the shuttle is actually
a more cost effective means of reaching orbit?
--
Roger Noe			ihnp4!riccb!rjnoe