Orbital Test Satellite
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| Names | Orbital Test Satellite |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology demonstration Communications satellite |
| Operator | European Space Agency (ESA) |
| COSPAR ID | 1978-044A |
| SATCAT no. | 10855 |
| Website | http://www.esa.int/ |
| Mission duration | 6 years (planned) 12 years, 7 months, 22 days (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | OTS-2 |
| Bus | OTS |
| Manufacturer | British Aerospace [1] |
| Launch mass | 865 kg (1,907 lb) |
| Dry mass | 445 kg (981 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.4 × 2.1 × 9.3 m (7 ft 10 in × 6 ft 11 in × 30 ft 6 in) |
| Power | 600 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 11 May 1978, 22:59:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta 3914 (s/n D141) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-17A |
| Contractor | McDonnell Douglas |
| Entered service | July 1978 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | 2 January 1991 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 6 Ku-band |
| Coverage area | Europe |
OTS programme | |
The Orbital Test Satellite (OTS) programme was an experimental satellite system inherited by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1975 from its predecessor, the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO). OTS was the first three-axis-stabilised Ku-band satellite, and its design has inspired the conception of almost 30 other satellites in Europe. Its successors, the Maritime European Communications Satellite (MARECS) and European Communications Satellite (ECS) series of satellites, consolidated Europe's position in communications satellite technology and manufacturing.[2]
OTS-1
The first of the pair of OTS satellites (OTS-1) was lost at launch in the failure of its United States Delta launcher in September 1977.
OTS-2
OTS-2 was successfully launched in 1978, again using the Delta launch vehicleand became one of the first geostationary communications satellites to carry six Ku-band transponders and was capable of handling 7,200 telephone circuits. With a mass of approximately 865 kg (1,907 lb),[1] the OTS-2 bus was hexagonal with overall dimensions of 2.4 m by 2.1 m. Two solar panels with a span of 9.3 m provided 0.6 kW of electrical power. British Aerospace was the prime contractor from the European MESH consortium which developed the OTS satellite. It completed its primary mission in 1984 after which the spacecraft was involved in a 6-year program of experiments, including the testing of a new attitude control technique taking advantage of solar radiation pressure forces. In January 1991, OTS-2 was moved out of the geostationary ring and into a graveyard orbit.
References
- ^ a b "Display: OTS 2 1978-044A". NASA. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "The Telecommunications Programme". ESA. August 1995. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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