The contract between Korea Aerospace and Orbital Sciences (OSC) to launch in 1999 the TRW-built Kompsat multipurpose satellite aboard a Taurus booster from Vandenberg AFB, California, has been formally signed.
The Taurus has been flown just once (in 1994), but OSC has two firm contracts for launches on it.
OSC's other launcher, the Pegasus XL, is scheduled to carry Spain's Minisat into low-Earth orbit in February .
The poor launch record of the Pegasus XL - three successes, two failures and one failure to separate its payloads - is causing NASA, which has over ten payloads awaiting launch on the Pegasus to 2000, to consider alternative vehicles.
The McDonnell Douglas Delta 2 is being examined as a candidate to launch three of the satellites, the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite, the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer and the Wide Field Infrared Explorer.
Brazil has selected the Pegasus launcher to place its second Satellite de Coleta de Dados science satellite into orbit in 1997.
Source: Flight International
