GLOBALSTAR 5 through 8 are low altitude communications satellites of that international consortium that were launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 22:38 UT on 24 April 1998. The eventual fleet of 48 satellites (plus eight spares) enabled telephone and FAX communications from/to areas far away from ground based cellular networks. Future launches used Ukrainian and Russian rockets. Initial orbital parameters of the four satellites were approximately period 111 min, apogee 1,253 km, perigee 1,236 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
25306 = 1998-023A = Globalstar M014
25307 = 1998-023B = Globalstar M006
25308 = 1998-023C = Globalstar M015
25309 = 1998-023D = Globalstar M008
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 1998-04-24
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7420
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Mass: 450.0 kg
Nominal Power: 1100.0 W