TS News - Thor-II Launched

from: owner-ts-news@tele-satellite.com
Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 13:59:38 +0900
TELE-satellit News, 21 May 1997

Thor-II Launched
  CAPE CANVERAL, Florida, USA, 97/05/21 (TS) -- A McDonnell Douglas Delta
II rocket Tuesday successfully launched Norway's Thor II satellite. The
three-stage vehicle lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17A at 6:39 p.m.
EDT, boosting Telenor's Hughes-built spacecraft into a geosynchronous
transfer orbit.

  "Today's success was the result of great teamwork involving Hughes,
Telenor, the U.S. Air Force and the Delta II team," said Jay L. Witzling,
McDonnell Douglas' division director for Delta II and Titan programs. "We
are proud to have launched not only Thor II, but its predecessor Thor I,
which now serves more than three fourths of the satellite dish receptors in
Scandinavia," he said.

  The Thor II, built by Hughes Electronics, is named for Norwegian explorer
Thor Heyerdahl. It will add up to 75 channels of television capacity to the
Telenor communications system and has an estimated life span of 11 years.

  Yesterday, McDonnell Douglas said it had signed a contract with Hughes
for the supply of another satellite to be positioned at one degree West.
The Thor-III satellite will be based on the HS-376 platform, as are the
previous two.

(c)TELE-satellit 1997. All rights reserved.
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