CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A relatively routine satellite replacement mission successfully launched from South America early Wednesday helped write the last chapter of a compelling tale from the history of spaceflight.
Intelsat 905 arrived in its proper orbit after taking a nearly 21-minute ride atop an Ariane 4 rocket, which launched on time at 2:44 a.m. EDT (0644 GMT) Wednesday.
It will take Intelsat ground controllers in the United States a few weeks to complete checks on their new spacecraft, which was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif.
Intelsat manager Terry Edwards said he expects Intelsat 905 will become operational July 18.
When it does, Intelsat 905 will assume responsibility for serving much of the Eastern U.S., South America, Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East.
The story begins in 1990, with the botched launch of an Intelsat communications satellite atop the now defunct commercial Titan 3 rocket.
Human error led to a mis-wiring of the Titan 3's second stage and the satellite so the two would not separate. The only way to save Intelsat 603 was to separate the spacecraft from its attached upper stage. Unable to reach its intended orbit, Intelsat 603 was left stranded in useless, low perch over the planet.
However, the satellite's problems were central to an episode in NASA's history that in many ways paved the way for achievements such as the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope and the assembly of the International Space Station.
The possibility of a satellite rescue by NASA was proposed almost immediately, and within two years the mission was planned, approved and launched in May 1992.
Adding a touch of drama and sentiment to the mission was that it flew on the inaugural voyage of shuttle Endeavour, the spaceplane built by NASA and named by schoolchildren as a replacement for Challenger, which was lost in the 1986 disaster.
The mission offered its challenges as the crew had trouble capturing Intelsat 603 and hauling it into the cargo bay. After a couple of days of troubleshooting the solution presented itself: send three spacewalkers outside to grab hold of the satellite with their gloved hands.
The moment of capture is considered one of the more spectacular scenes in the history of spaceflight.
Astronauts then attached a new booster to its base and Intelsat 603 was sent on its way to become another of the many communications satellites in orbit over Earth's equator, dutifully serving its customers until it is to be replaced with the new spacecraft launched Wednesday.
For Arianespace, the Intelsat 905 shot marked the seventh commercial satellite delivery mission for the European company this year. Company officials say they have plans to launch six more missions by the end of the year.
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