GLOBALSTAR U-1, GLOBALSTAR U-2, GLOBALSTAR L-1, and GLOBALSTAR L-2 are the first communications spacecraft of that international consortium. They were launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station at 14:34 UT on 14 Feb 1998. Globalstar enables remote or mobile telephones to reach out to anywhere in the world. Initial orbital parameters of all four satellite were similar: period 110.5 min, apogee 1,258 km, perigee 1,245 km, and inclination 52.0 deg.
Globalstar planned 52 satellites (48 operational and 4 on-orbit spares) in Space Systems Loral's "Big LEO" global mobile communications network, offering global real time voice, data and fax. The satellites were 3-axis stabilized, and employed magnetometers on a deployable boom, sun sensors, GPS as attitude sensors, and carried two deployable solar arrays delivering 1100 W. The satellites in the first-generation constellation were designed to operate at full performance for a minimum of 7.5 years.
The satellites in the system were placed into low earth orbit in eight operational planes of six satellites each, with 1,414 kilometer circular orbits inclined at 52 degrees.
Alternate Names
25162 = 1998-008A = Globalstar U1, FM1, M001
25163 = 1998-008B = Globalstar U2, FM2, M004
25164 = 1998-008C = Globalstar L1, FM3, M002
25165 = 1998-008D = Globalstar L2, FM4, M003
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 1998-02-14
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7420
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Mass: 450.0 kg
Nominal Power: 1100.0 W