spacetoday.net: Loral writes off Telstar 4

Posted: Tue, Sep 23, 2003, 2:36 AM ET (0636 GMT)
Loral announced Monday that it has declared the Telstar 4 communications satellites a total loss, three days after reporting a power problem with the spacecraft. The spacecraft experienced a short circuit of its primary power bus on Friday morning, causing the spacecraft to cease operations. Efforts to restore the satellite failed, although Loral said it continued to work with the satellite's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, to determine the root cause of the problem. Most of the customers of Telstar 4 had been shifted to three other satellites, Telstar 5, 6 and 7, according to Loral. The spacecraft, located at 89 degrees west and serving the US, southern Canada, and the Caribbean, was scheduled to be replaced next year with the launch of Telstar 8. Telstar 4 was one of six satellites that Loral had agreed in July to sell to Intelsat for approximately $1 billion in order to help Loral exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Telstar 4 was insured for $141 million, and the sale price of the remaining satellites will be reduced by that amount, according to Loral.