Mar 31 1980
From The Space Library
Aviation Week & Space Technology said that cuts in NASA's FY81 budget would delay the international solar polar mission to 1985, although $135 million in contracts had already been awarded in the United States and Europe. Delay would force "major restructuring of the contracts" $80 million to TRW for the U.S. spacecraft and $55.8 million to Dornier as prime contractor for the European spacecraft-and would give ESA additional problems with its budget, although NASA expressed hope last week that ESA would remain a part of the project. A split mission with the U.S. and European spacecraft on separate launches would increase costs substantially.
Aviation Week & Space Technology said that NASA was "unable to discuss this situation before Congress last week" because of an administration embargo on new budget projections. Although NASA could testify on the Space Shuttle need for a $300 million FY80 supplemental appropriation, the embargo had forced the House appropriations subcommittee to cancel two days of NASA hearings on FY81 space science and applications. NASA Administrator Robert A. Frosch said that, unless the supplement was passed, contractors would lay off up to 20,000 skilled workers, and the overall cost of the Shuttle program could increase by $600 to $800 million. The combined impact on NASA and DOD could go as high as $1.1 billion, according to subcommittee members. (Av Wk, Mar 31/80, 27)
Aviation Week & Space Technology reported that Southern Pacific Communications Company (SPC) had applied to the FCC for authority to build a domestic communications satellite system starting with two satellites in orbit and a third maintained as a spare. Capacity of the system would exceed that of any other domestic system now in orbit or in construction; each proposed satellite would have twice the capacity of the largest communications satellite now in domestic service (AT&T's Comsat or RCA's Satcom) and a voice or digital-data capacity 60% higher than Western Union's Westar.
SPC predicted that the demand for transponders would triple between 1980 and 1985 and said that no existing or planned system would be adequate to provide SPC with the capacity it would need by mid-decade. It had petitioned earlier to deny requests of RCA for orbit slots at 132 °W and 83 °W of Western Union for 83W, and Hughes for 79W and 75W. Given authority to orbits its satellites at 132' and 83W, with assignment of a third slot at 79W, the company said it would provide service to all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It would also build a control center in Maryland and launch its communications satellite in 1982-1983. (Av Wk, Mar 31/80)
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