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Sirius

In December, 1993, Sweden followed Norway's lead by purchasing the UK's Marcopolo 1, aka BSB R1, spacecraft (Norway had acquired Marcopolo 2 in 1992). Rechristened Sirius, Marcopolo 1 (Figure 4.52) was transferred to a position near Tele-X in early 1994. Sirius' payload includes six Ku-band transponders and should function until the end of the decade; Sirius was launched in 1989 with a 10-year lifetime (References 391-392).

With its shorter design life, Tele-X is likely to fail before Sirius, possibly about 1997. In anticipation of this event, Sweden was preparing in late 1994 to place an order for a Sirius 2 spacecraft and possibly a Sirius 3 vehicle as well. Although not definitized, Sirius 2 will probably carry a payload with several times the capacity of either Tele-X or Sirius. The launch of Sirius 2 is tentatively planned for 1997 to avoid a service disruption when Tele-X reaches its end of life (Reference 393).

391. "Norway and Sweden Bicker Over Marcopolo Sales", Space FAX Daily, 6 January 1994, p. 1.

392. P.B. de Selding, "Sweden's Booming DBS Demand Beats Available Supply", Space News, 10-16 January 1994, p.16.

393. P.B. de Selding, "Swedish Company To Seek Supplier For Spacecraft To Replace Tele-Xn, Space News, 6-12 February 1995, p.17.

Sources and Resources

• Adapted from: Europe and Asia in Space 1993-1994, Nicholas Johnson and David Rodvold [Kaman Sciences / Air Force Phillips Laboratory]

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