NoDateSpacecra
A European team led by Daimler-Benz Aerospace Dornier Satellitensysteme, and including Aerospatiale and Alenia Spazio, has been awarded a contract to build the GE-5 communications satellite for GE Americom Communications. It is the first contract to be awarded by a major US operator to European industry.
Dornier will be the principal contact with the customer, and for platform subsystems, while Aerospatiale will deal with integration and testing. Alenia will be responsible for producing the payload repeater and subsystems.
The GE-5 will be based on a Spacebus 2000 platform and be equipped with 16 Ku-band transponders. It is to be launched by an Ariane vehicle in October 1998 and placed at 79íWest in geostationary orbit. The short delivery time will be a European record.
February satellite launch log
| No | Date | Spacecraft | Type | Launcher* | Country* | Lanuch site* |
| 6 | 4 Feb | Brasilsat B3 Inmarsat 3F5 | Comsat Comsat | Ariane 4 /1> | Europe 1 | Kourou 1 |
| 7 | 10 Feb | Geosat F/O 2 Orbcomm | Ocean Comsat | Taurus /1 | USA 5 | Vandenberg 1 |
| 8 | 14 Feb | 4 Globalstar | Comsats | Delta /2> | USA 6 | Canaveral 4 |
| 9 | 17 Feb | Cosmos 2349 | Rem sens | Soyuuz U/2 | Russia 2 | Baikonur 2 |
| 10 | 18 Feb | 5 Iridium+ | Comsats | Delta /3>USA 7 | Vandenberg 2 | |
| 11 | 21 Feb | Comets | Technology | H1/1 | ^Japan 1 | Tanegashima 1 |
| 12 | 26 Feb | SNOE Teledisc T1 | Student sat Technology | Pegasus XL/1 | USA 8 | Air launch 1 |
| 13 | 27 Feb | Hot Bird 4 | Comsat | Ariane 4/2> | Europe 2 | Kourou 2 |
| 14 | 28 Feb | Intelsat 806 | Comsat | Atlas /2> | USA 9 | Canaveral 5 |
*Number of launches in 1998.>Ariadne 44LP/1, Delta 7420 with four stran-ons/1, Delta 7920/1, Ariane 42P/1, Atlas 2AS/1. +51 Iridiums launched, 49 operational. ^H2 failed to place Comets in correct orbit.
Source: Flight International