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WASHINGTON — A mysterious Russian military satellite parked itself between two Intelsat satellites in geosynchronous orbit for five months this year, alarming company executives and leading to classified meetings among U.S. government officials. The Russian satellite, alternatively known as Luch or Olymp, launched in September 2014 and seven months later moved to a position directly between the Intelsat 7 and Intelsat 901 satellites, which are located within half a degree of one another 36,000 kilometers above the equator. At times, the Russian satellite maneuvered to about 10 kilometers of the Intelsat space vehicles, sources said, a distance so close that...

LONG BEACH, Calif., June 23, 2005 — Sea Launch Company today successfully delivered the Intelsat Americas™-8 (IA-8) communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Early data indicate the spacecraft is in excellent condition. A Zenit-3SL vehicle lifted off at 7:03 am PDT ( 14:03 GMT), from the Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned at 154 degrees West Longitude. All systems performed nominally throughout the flight. The Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the 5,500 kg (12,125 lbs.) satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 89 degrees West Longitude. A ground station in Fucino, Italy, acquired the spacecraft’s...

NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) - After failing to re-establish contact with an orbiting telecommunications satellite over the weekend, Loral Space & Communications declared it a total loss Monday. Telstar 4, which was insured for $141 million, was one of six satellites - three currently in orbit and two under construction - that privately held Intelsat had agreed to acquire for up to $1.1 billion. New York-based Loral lost contact with the satellite Friday morning when a short circuit disrupted operations. Despite the failure, Intelsat and Loral still expect the acquisition to occur on schedule, but the incident could reduce the...

Loral Space & Communications Ltd. , which filed for bankruptcy in July as part of an agreement to sell six satellites, said one of these satellites malfunctioned Friday morning, becoming, at least temporarily, inoperable. Loral, which agreed to sell the six satellites aimed at North America to Intelsat Ltd. for up to $1.1 billion in cash, said Telstar 4 suffered a short circuit of its primary power system. Loral and Lockheed Martin Corp. the craft's builder, are evaluating the problem to determine if the Telstar 4 can be repaired. Telstar 4 is insured for $141 million, Loral said. Most customers...