Attachment 3
NASA Apollo Support Program – INTELSAT I
by
Cyril Vahtrick
The NASA requirement to support the development of the Apollo “man on the moon” project was for a virtually tailor-made global communications satellite system spanning the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to connect the NASA stations providing tracking, telemetry and control for the various manned space missions leading up to the first manned moon landing. This would also provide additional satellite capacity above the NASA requirement and this could be put to ordinary public telecommunications use.
Specifying a time frame of only twelve months from October, 1965, for both space and earth segments for the communications system, this brought forward by a considerable period the date by which a fully operational INTELSAT satellite system had been previously envisaged. This timetable also effectively eliminated, through lack of time, the design and construction of any system other than one based on the type of synchronous satellite already in orbit.
COMSAT indicated that Hughes had developed from their earlier Syncom design (used in “Early Bird”) a larger bodied spacecraft with greater solar power and with much better multiple access capabilities.
COMSAT announced to the INTELSAT Committee (ICSC) that it had negotiated an agreement in its own right with NASA to provide a total satellite communications system, including earth stations at various selected locations around the world. On the additional basis that the system design would envisage some spare capacity on the satellites for commercial use, COMSAT proposed that INTELSAT should formally accept the task of providing and owning the space segment.
After some debate, ICSC agreed to proceed with the space segment subject to satisfying itself that the proposal appeared economically viable while noting that, with the relatively short life span of these early satellites, this project would not have the effect of deferring the overall plans for a more comprehensive global system which ICSC had scheduled for completion in 1968.
When this agreement was settled, ICSC decided that it should be logically naming its satellites, so it started by replacing the existing “Early Bird” with the name “INTELSAT I”. The next generation of satellites would then be named “INTELSAT II with F1, F2,” etc. denoting each satellite in the series.
Turning to the subject of establishing and operating the specific earth stations required for the NASA project however (which were not an INTELSAT responsibility) the COMSAT proposal, that it should construct, own and operate all the earth stations in the proposed NASA support system, including the three on non-US Territory, met opposition from those entities concerned.
OTC (Carnarvon), Cable & Wireless (Ascension Island) and Spain (Canary Islands) made it clear that, under their domestic telecommunications laws, COMSAT would not be permitted to establish and operate commercial telecommunications facilities in their Territories. These entities also indicated that they could see no reason why they should not establish, own and operate their own earth stations. They would then negotiate directly with NASA in regard to the charges payable for the services rendered.
COMSAT tried to argue against this concept, indicating privately to OTC and Cable & Wireless that it had already virtually agreed with NASA on the charges for the whole package. However, under further pressure from OTC and C&W, COMSAT began to see the difficulties it would face in non-US Territories and privately revealed the overall financial deal it had with NASA – basically it was an all-up total amount for satellites, earth stations, tracking and telemetry and for providing communications facilities to NASA for up to 10 years.
With this total confidential figure in hand, OTC’s Cyril Vahtrick and C&W’s Archie Willett (later to become Managing Director of C&W) sat down one night in Washington and, with the aid of some complex mathematics, postulated an overall solution based on equitable division of the NASA payment among the direct participants in both space and earth segments. One of the terms of the proposal was that ICSC should agree to reduce their standard space segment charge from US$32,000 to US$20,000 per unit of utilization.
Assuming this space segment charge and the resultant division of revenues from NASA between the earth and space segments, both OTC and C&W saw that they could develop service offerings to NASA which could be kept within the framework of their own respective standard leased circuit rentals.
OTC was fully aware (as was C&W) of the potential precedent which would be created by giving the US Government, through NASA, any kind of special deal for leased circuits. Governments, especially our own, were already leased circuit customers of OTC at standard rates and serious long range problems could arise from any such precedent.
The above course of action was seen by OTC and C&W to have many practical and domestic political advantages. Having come to this conclusion, the following plan was then privately outlined to COMSAT:
Again there would be no role for COMSAT as “middle man” in these arrangements and COMSAT would be simply regarded as the corresponding overseas carrier at the US end.
Spain was not represented during these discussions but later indicated general agreement with this course of action. Neither COMSAT nor NASA initially welcomed these proposals but quickly recognised that the tight overall schedule left no time to spend on trying to sort out international legal problems.
NASA’s stated reason for initially opposing the OTC/C&W plan was that it would be administratively messy to have to deal with an additional three entities in this exercise, and it would be much cleaner just to deal with COMSAT. This stance was quickly abandoned against logical arguments put up by OTC and C&W.
OTC gave Cyril Vahtrick the overall responsibility for the Carnarvon Earth Station Project and he led a team of engineers including Graham Gosewinckel and Barry Lancaster to specify and procure the necessary equipment. The requirement also included the provision of tracking, telemetry and command services for the launch of the communications satellites, together with direct communication links between the NASA Apollo Support Station at Carnarvon and mainland USA.
Despite the many problems which were encountered in such a short lead time, the OTC Carnarvon Satellite Earth Station was available on schedule to provide tracking, telemetry and command services for the launch of the INTELSAT II F1 spacecraft which occurred on the 26th October, 1966.
Unfortunately, there was an apogee motor failure in the INTELSAT II F1 satellite resulting in the satellite failing to reach synchronous orbit. The satellite was capable of receiving and transmitting signals in its twelve hour elliptical orbit and the OTC earth station not only successfully tracked it, but also established temporary communication links for the first time via satellite with both the Earth Station in Paumalu, Hawaii, and Goonhilly in UK.
Another significant historical milestone which occurred with this particular satellite was that it was the vehicle for the first ever exchange of television signals between Australian and another country when the Carnarvon station arranged to exchange signals with Goonhilly. This occurred on 25th November, 1966, and represents one of the many OTC historical events.