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Olympus

ESA's Olympus communications technology test bed (formerly known as L-Sat) was launched by an Ariane 3 in July, 1989, and stationed near 19 degrees W. The on-station mass of Olympus was 1.5 metric tons with a payload of 360 kg, including two 18/12 GHz, 230 W transponders; three 30/20 GHz, 30 W transponders; and four 14/12 GHz, 30 W transponders. The spacecraft bus was approximately 2.6 m by 2.1 m by 1.8 m with two 27.5 m solar arrays capable of a minimum of 3.6 kW at end of life. The prime contractor was British Aerospace with major contributions from Alenia Spazio, Fokker, Matra Marconi, and Spar Aerospace Ltd. The principal ESA participants in the Olympus program were Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Olympus suffered several setbacks in 1991 but was eventually able to recover. In late January one of the two solar arrays lost its ability to track the sun. Then, four months later, an attitude control upset was compounded by improper commands from the Fucino ground station, causing failures in the electrical, propulsion, and thermal control systems. The spacecraft drifted in GEO for two months before the vehicle could be brought under control. Olympus was maneuvered back to 19 degrees W by mid-August, 1991, and the individual payloads were reactivated during September-November (References 3-8).

The hard-luck Olympus failed to meet its 5 year operational goal when on the night of 11-12 August 1994 the spacecraft was apparently hit by a meteor during the annual Perseid shower. Although still functional, the spacecraft experienced an attitude control upset which ultimately consumed a substantial portion of the remaining propellants. The situation was compounded by the automatic control system actions which sent the vehicle into a lower altitude drift orbit. Since insufficient propellant was left to recover the spacecraft completely, ESA controllers reduced Olympus' altitude even more, placing it in a graveyard orbit (References 9-11).