Posted: Tue, Jan 13, 2004, 9:57 PM ET (0257 GMT)
A Loral communications satellite launched over the weekend is suffering from a stuck solar panel, the company reported Tuesday. The Telstar 14 spacecraft, also known as Estrela do Sul 1, was launched late Saturday by a Zenit 3SL booster. Once in orbit, the spacecraft was able to fully deploy one of its two solar arrays, but could only partially deploy the other because of an unspecified problem. In a statement, Loral said engineers at its satellite manufacturing division, Space Systems/Loral, are looking at data from the spacecraft to determine the nature of the problem and the best way to solve it. While the spacecraft currently has enough power to maintain its own systems, it needs to fully deploy both arrays in order to power its payload of 41 Ku-band transponders. The company noted that the spacecraft is insured for partial and total losses for up to $250 million.

Related Links:

•  Loral press release
•  Space News article (subscription required)