Page 18 - Italy In Space
P. 18
Telecommunication Satellites [3]
September 9, 1982. Unsuccessful launch of SIRIO-2, aimed at distributing meteo data to Europe and
North Africa and at synchronizing atomic watches through LASSO (LAser Satellite SynchrOnization).
The ARIANE-1 launcher, at its 1st commercial launch, ceased functioning after 7 minutes due to a turbo-
pump failure in the 3rd stage, and the CIA satellite fell down into the Atlantic Ocean. Commemorative
cover cancelled in Kourou on the day of launch, with the pictorial “Ariane-1” mechanical postmark.
June 16, 1983. Following the success of OTS, ECS 1 (European Communications Satellite) is launched
from Kourou. Italy is responsible for designing and implementing the satellite structure. The payload
includes twelve 14/11 GHz transponders for a capacity of 12,000 telephone circuits or 10 television
channels and could cover the whole European continent, from Urals to North Africa, for cable TV.
The pictorial Ariane-1 special postmark has been in use from December 1979 until February 1986.
17
