TEL AVIV,
Israel -- The debut of the Land Launch Zenit-3SLB rocket carrying the Israeli Amos-3
telecommunications satellite was aborted just 90 seconds before a planned
Thursday liftoff due to a ground equipment glitch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan.
Russian
space agency officials and executives at Spacecom, the Tel Aviv-based owner and
operator of the Israeli-built Amos-series spacecraft, attributed the glitch to
a malfunctioning transporter-erector crane that failed to separate at a
sufficiently safe distance from the three-stage rocket.
"The
supporting arm of the launcher did not reach nominal separation distance from
the launcher, and it was decided to delay the launch until the required
inspections are performed," Spacecom announced after the aborted Thursday
launch.
Originally planned
for late 2007, the Amos-3 satellite is the first payload for Land Launch, which
uses the same Russian- and Ukrainian-built rocket as the Sea Launch venture but
operates from Baikonur rather than an ocean-going platform. Sea Launch does
marketing for the affiliated Land Launch venture.
Amos-3 is
the latest in the series of geostationary communications satellites built by
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI). Weighing 1,270 kilograms fully fueled,
the $170 million satellite features 12 Ku-band transponders and two wide-band
Ka-band transponders, steerable antennas, and an 18-year operational lifespan.
Spacecom
Chief Executive David Pollack said it would take a few days to complete the
requisite inspections, but stressed that Amos-3 and its launcher remain ready
for launch. He noted that it would take at least a day to drain hazardous fuel
from the third stage of the launcher; and "another day or two or
three" to ascertain that all ancillary equipment is functioning properly.
"The
countdown was progressing perfectly, and everything was going smoothly ... up
until a minute and a half before launch," said Pollack.
The
mechanical malfunction prompted disappointment and embarrassment in Jerusalem,
where Cabinet members, foreign dignitaries and industry executives had gathered
at the home of Israeli President Shimon Peres to witness the launch.
In an
extraordinarily elaborate pre-launch fete organized by Spacecom as part of
Israel's 60th Anniversary Independence Day celebrations, presidential guests
monitoring the live feed from Kazakhstan were visibly discomfited by the
aborted countdown.
And while
Peres sought to shift focus from the aborted launch attempt to more positive
aspects of Israel's technological achievements in space, government and industry
officials quietly criticized Spacecom for its public relations pursuit.
"Unexpected
problems happen all the time in this business, and people always need to be
prepared for potential disappointment," said Isaac Ben-Israel, chairman of
the Israel Space Agency and a member of the governing Kadima party in the
Israeli Knesset.
Ben-Israel
said the delayed launch is insignificant and that the satellite is among the
world's most advanced for one with its relatively small size. "The unique
added value of this satellite is its bandwidth-to-kilo ratio, and in this
regard, it's a leader among [geostationary] communications satellites," he
said.
In an Thursday
interview, a senior Israeli industry executive said several members of the
Spacecom board of directors, as well as officials at IAI, warned Pollack and
others not to link the Amos-3 launch so directly with presidential prestige and
the nation's Independence Day festivities.
"The
whole thing was a huge embarrassment and highly irregular. Our style has always
been to avoid big expectations and big promises. But they wanted to go for the
glory, and this huge promotion they created just blew up in their faces,"
he said.
In
response, Pollack adamantly insisted, "Great things come to those who
dare. If we're afraid, we'll achieve nothing." He said the aborted launch
does not detract from Israel's technological achievements in space, nor does it
impact negatively on national prestige.
"What's
the big deal? There was good food, good music ... and people had a good reason
to visit the holy city of Jerusalem during the [Jewish Passover] holiday,"
Pollack said.
Pollack
said "this brief delay" would have no material impact on Spacecom or
customers signed up to receive Amos-3 services.
Pollack
said services for Amos-3 already are fully booked, and that the company plans
to launch three additional satellites in the coming four years. "Within a
few short years, we aim to have an operational fleet of five extremely
high-performance spacecraft to serve our growing base of customers," he
said.
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