Experimenters prepare for tests with the first Orbital Test Satellite

The attempt to place the first Orbital Test Satellite (O.T.S.) into geostationary orbit last September ended just 55 s after liftoff when the American Thor-Delta launcher exploded, depositing the satellite in the Atlantic Ocean. A second satellite, constructed by the same European consortium, under the prime contractorship of British Aerospace Dynamics, Stevenage, was successfully launched on the 11th May. This launch marks the culmination of eight years of industrial studies and development with the object of producing a test satellite that could be the forerunner of a European regional communication-satellite system for the 1980s. This system would be primarily used for intra-European telephony circuits and for Eurovision television distribution