A Boeing Delta II launched a British communications satellite into orbit Friday, January 9, marking the first of 18 scheduled Delta II and III launches in 1998.
     The Delta II lifted off from Pad 17B at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:32pm EST January 9 (0032 UT Jan. 10). The launch has been delayed by nearly an hour due to several minor problems, including a technical problem with an upper stage of the booster, a ship in a restricted area offshore, and concerns about lightning.
     The rocket carried into orbit the SKYNET 4D satellite for the British military. The satellite, built by Matra Marconi, is the first of three new satellites that will replace Great Britain's existing system of three older comsats the country uses to maintain contact with its military forces worldwide.
     The launch was the first at Pad 17B since modifications were made to the facility so it can accommodate Delta III boosters. The pad can now handle the Delta II and the larger Delta III, the first launch of which is scheduled later this year.
     Seventeen more Delta launches, including two Delta III launches, are scheduled for the rest of 1998, according to Jay Witzling, director of Boeing's Delta and Titan programs.

Kistler Aerospace Corporation has awarded a contract worth $145 million to Northrop Grumman to develop and build the structures for Kistler's K-1 reusable launch system.
     Northrop Grumman has already been working on the preliminary design of the K-1 launcher, based on a preliminary contract awarded by Kistler a year earlier. The new contract includes the design, development, and manufacture of the structures for the two-stage launcher.
     The Kistler K-1 launcher is billed as the world's first fully reusable launcher. A first stage, powered by three NK-33 engines, would launch the booster to an altitude of approximately 36,000 meters (120,000 feet). The first stage would then separate and return to Earth by way of parachutes and airbags, while the second stage, using a single NK-43 engine, flies into orbit. After deploying its payload the stage would reenter and land, also using parachutes and airbags.
     Kistler plans to operate the K-1 at launch sites in Nevada and/or Woomera, Australia, with test flights starting in late 1998. Kistler CEO George Mueller personally approved the Woomera site in a visit there last month, according to Australian reports.

The French aerospace firm Arianespace has announced plans to build 50 of the new heavy-lift Ariane 5 boosters for commercial launches well into the next decade, company officials announced last week.
     An initial order of 20 Ariane 5 launchers will be used for commercial launches in 2001 and 2002, with the additional 30 to be obtained for future launches. The company has already ordered 14 Ariane 5 for launches starting with the third qualification flight, Ariane 503, scheduled for this June.
     Arianespace plans to start commercial Ariane 5 launches in late 1998, according to Jean-Marie Luton, chairman and CEO of Arianespace. The company plans to start with 5 Ariane 5 launches a year in 1999, growing to 10 by 2001 and up to 14 in future years.
     Arianespace currently operates the highly-successful series of Ariane 4 launchers, which have captured a large fraction of the commercial launch market. While the Ariane 4 boosters will be phased out in future years, 10 Ariane 4 launches are still scheduled for 1998.
     Although the large order of Ariane 5s will allow the company to reduce the cost of each booster, Arianespace has plans to raise up to $200 million in new capital to cover the manufacture of both Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rockets.