Tim Furniss/LONDON
SPACE INSURERS are paying two satellite operators $83 million for damage to one spacecraft and the loss of the other after launches by Chinese boosters in 1995/6.
The People's Insurance of China has paid $25.9 million to China Telecommunications and Broadcasting Satellite for the loss in useless orbit of the Chinasat 7 communications satellite after launch aboard a Long March 3 (LM3) on 18 August.
The booster failed to place the Hughes HS-376 spacecraft into its correct geostationary-transfer orbit. The apogee was 18,800km short, the third time in nine launches that an LM3 third stage has malfunctioned.
The other, $58 million, pay out is due to the Asiasat Company for damage to its Lockheed Martin-built Asiasat 2 communications satellite during the LM2E launch in November 1995 (Flight Inter-national, 2-8 October).
China has two remaining firm commercial-satellite launches after several failures, including the loss of the first LM3B on 14 February, which resulted in several customer defections to other launchers.
Source: Flight International
