Stars Align For Satellite Rescue

摘要

The Aug. 31 launch of the Palapa D telecommunications satellite by a Chinese Long March 3B rocket left the satellite in a badly off-target orbit and presented satellite builder Thales Alenia Space with a problem: What should we do now?rnGuiding the satellite into a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean was quickly discarded as a scenario. A defect in one of the rocket's upper-stage engines had placed the satellite into an orbit that, while misshapen, was not so bad as to envisage a total loss.