China launched a domestic communications satellite on a Long March booster May 12, restoring some confidence to a launch system that had been shaken up by a number of major failures.
     A Long March 3A booster lifted off from the Xichang launch facility carrying Dongfanghong-3 (East is Red 3), a domestic communications satellite. The launch reportedly occurred with no problems.
     The launch had been scheduled for May 5 but was pushed back a week with no explanation given. An official with the China Aerospace Group, the company that handled the launch, told Reuters three days before the launch that there had been no delay but that they were "waiting for the right conditions for the launch."
     The launch gives a confidence boost to a launch program beset by problems. In February 1996 a Long March crashed and exploded seconds after launch, causing major damage to a nearby town according to Western reports. Another launch in August 1996 stranded a satellite into a useless orbit. Another Long March exploded after a January 1995 launch.
     The recent failures had soured foreign companies on the booster, which had been an attractive alternative to American and European boosters with its low launch costs. Those costs are now at least partially offset by high insurance premiums, which are "27 percent or more" than the industry average, according to a source with a Chinese insurance agency.
     A Long March launch of the Fengyun-2 weather satellite is scheduled for late June or July. China Aerospace officials are also planning to launch three international communications satellites later this year.

A Delta II launch of a Norwegian communications satellite was pushed back a week to study problems with another Delta II launch while the Ariane launch of another communications satellite was pushed back several months due to concerns about the payload.
     McDonnell Douglas officials decided to delay the scheduled May 11 launch of the Thor II satellite after noticing that the second stage of the Delta II used to launch the first Iridium satellites May 5 used more attitude control fuel than expected.
     The problem did not adversely affect the Iridium launch, but company officials wanted to take a second look at the problem before launching another booster.
     The launch has been rescheduled for 6:39pm EDT (2239 UT) on Sunday, May 18.
     Officials for the French launch firm Arianespace confirmed May 1 that the launch of PanAmSat-6, scheduled for May 13, would be delayed to late summer because of concerns regarding the power system on the satellite.
     "Based on recommendations by Space Systems/Loral, the PAS-6 spacecraft supplier, PanAmSat has postponed the launch," an official with PanAmSat said.
     Loral is concerned about the power system on Tempo 2, a satellite similar to PamAmSat 6. That satellite has been running on only 85 percent of normal power since a solar storm passed near the Earth on April 11. Loral engineers are uncertain if the satellite was subjected to high levels of energetic particles, or if the problem is a flaw within the spacecraft. Tempo 2 was launched in March.

A revised version of the Teledesic proposal to place hundreds of satellites into low-Earth orbit for global high-speed communications may face scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission, which could open the door for competing proposals, Space News reported.
     The FCC will review the revised Teledesic proposal, which calls for fewer, heavier satellites in higher orbits. It has the option of voiding Teledesic's license, forcing it to reapply for the use of a valuable portion of radio spectrum which it won with no opposition in 1994.
     The question will be whether Teledesic's new plan is considered a major or minor change. "Generally if the new system is within the envelope of the technical parameters of the previously-authorized system, then it's considered a minor amendment," the FCC's Kari Kensinger told Space News. A minor amendment would not require a new license application.
     If the change is considered major, Teledesic's license for a prime region of the Ka-band radio spectrum could be voided, forcing it to refile. Competing proposals would likely be submitted if that occurred.
     Teledesic made the changed to the proposed constellation of communications satellites when it brought aerospace giant Boeing on board in late April. Under the new plan, the number of satellites drops from 840 to 288. Each satellite will weigh 1300 kg (2850 lbs.), up from 800 kg (1750 lbs.), and will orbit up to 1400 km (870 mi.) above the Earth, twice as high as planned.
     Launch of the first satellites of the Teledesic system is planned for the year 2000 or 2001. The company plans to use a mix of light, medium, and heavy-lift boosters to place the satellites into orbit.