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Five Russian satellites set to hover over earth

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, Jan 14, Ria-Novosti/ACSNA/IRNA -- Hopefully, the coming year 
will stand out for Russia`s space industry due to super-modern 
communications satellites of the latest generation: the Express-AM 
series. It is no secret that many pure and applied research spacecraft
remained grounded in 2003, said an analysis in the Russian news agency
Ria-Novosti. 
This was due to the fact that Russia`s space engineers were 
concerned last year practically with one thing, i.e. keeping the 
International Space Station functioning. 
No doubt, the ISS program is a major international and the only 
manned space mission at the moment. But Russian Space Agency head Yuri
Koptev was right when last April he said bluntly that to favor the ISS
Russia meant shelving other space programs, above all launches of 
research and communications satellites. 
The latter are now indispensable for both the military and 
civilian infrastructure of any industrialized country. Of particular 
value are high-orbiting satellites, in a stationary orbit about 36,000
kilometers up, because they can stay above a specific spot on the 
ground and keep it under continuous surveillance all the time. 
In the past, the USSR established the world`s largest state-run 
system of satellite communications. It was initiated by launching 
Molniya-series satellites in April 1965, which were put into heavily 
elongated elliptic orbits with their apogees passing over the Northern
Hemisphere. 
The mid-70s saw first satellites placed in a stationary orbit. 
Raduga and Gorizont space vehicles provided a day and night link 
between ground-based information-receiving and -processing stations. 
But by the mid-90s, not only had the orbiting Soviet-era satellites 
run out of steam, the very models of communications spacecraft became 
morally and technologically obsolete. 
In August 2001, the development of a new generation of 
communications satellites was made a special priority by the 
government. The Russian Savings Bank (Sberbank), one of the world`s 
largest banks, has contributed handsomely to the project. 
The first satellite of the Express-AM series was successfully 
launched, to reach its hovering station, by a heavy Proton carrier 
rocket on New Year`s Eve, while two more launches are being considered
this year. The full complement of five satellites of the new 
generation will be in place by the middle of 2005. 
In their stationary orbits, the five craft will provide steady 
communication coverage across Russia and will require no regular 
re-orientation of ground aerials, as was the case with low-orbit 
Molniya satellites. In developing this particular satellite, the 
research and production enterprise of applied mechanics in the East 
Siberian town of Zheleznogorsk, which is spearheading the program, has
chosen the only correct method, based on close international 
cooperation and involving reliable partners. 
Unfortunately, the radio engineering and electronic sectors of 
Russian industry are now far from in their best shape. So an on-board 
computer for the new satellite was supplied by the German firm 
Astrium. 
Direction-control instruments came from the French company 
Soderne. Nor was there any sense in looking in Russia for a radio 
transmitter for the on-board command and measuring system with a 
guaranteed 12-year life span. It was furnished by the Japanese firm 
NEC/Toshiba. 
In line with a decision taken by the International Union of 
Electric Communication, Russia has been assigned 24 slots in the 
universal stationary orbit designed for placing communications 
satellites. 
Most of them will be filled by satellites from the Express-AM 
family. 
/AH/210 
End