Space: It Don’t Come Easy

When you think space comes easy, especially for the well-established space-faring nations (the U.S., Russia, and China), life steps up and slaps you in the face.

The failures anomalies issues? Fairly recent examples include AEHF-1; Eutelsat W3B; the Glonass launch failure; SkyTerra 1 (resolved); and others.  More recent examples include ViaSat-1 delays and Telstar 14R.  Very recent examples include Russia’s apparent Breeze M (upper stage) failure and a Chinese Long March 2C failure (of an “experimental” payload).  These non-successes are representative and not inclusive.

The lesson is if you can get an equivalent (or near equivalent) service from something that doesn’t have to go to space, you’d be foolish to not consider its use.  While space is important, it isn’t like love, breathing air, drinkable water, or Cheetos.

In the meantime, enjoy the stars Starr in a music video from era when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

 

Eutelsat W3B, We Hardly Knew Ya

W3B In Its Better Days

Like a Bugatti Veyron in the hands of a 16-year old boy, Eutelsat W3B has been totaled.

From Eutelsat W3B Declared Total Loss; Plans Under Way To Deorbit Craft:

Starting Nov. 1, the 5,370-kilogram W3B will be guided toward an atmospheric re-entry, probably above the South Pacific Ocean, industry officials said. The procedure will likely force Eutelsat and Thales Alenia Space to work with regional maritime authorities to clear a corridor in the South Pacific for any W3B debris that might survive atmospheric re-entry.

The satellite’s fuel leak was its demise and kept the Eutelsat team from trying to super sync the spacecraft.

W3B is based on the Thales Spacebus 4000 C3 satellite platform. It weighed more than 11,800 pounds at liftoff and had a design life of 15 years.

If it’s true that only the good die young, Eutelsat W3B must have been really good.  Kinda like USA 193.

Ariane-5 Works, Eutelsat’s W3B Doesn’t

The 5.4-metric-ton Eutelsat W3B failed in what was described as an anomaly with the satellite’s propulsion subsystem following its successful launch by an Ariane 5.

The W3B was to be located at 16 degree East to replace Eutelsat’s EUROBIRD 16, W2M, and SESAT 1 satellites.

Of course the anomaly is under investigation.

Check out the tremendous video from Arianespace.  The launch team claps at payload separation, which is often the success criteria (meaning their organization  gets paid).