Optus Communications Pty Ltd is biting its nails and keeping its fingers crossed as China prepares to try again to put its B1 satellite into orbit on Friday on the Long March 2E rocket: the launch in March failed, when the motors shut down shortly before lift-off; total cost of the bird – from General Motors Corp’s Hughes Aircraft Co – including launch and insurance, is $146m; Optus B1 is to join the company’s three-satellite network, known as the Optus A series and currently parked in orbit above Australia and servicing Australia and New Zealand; the new satellite will replace the oldest of the network, due to exhaust its fuel by early 1993; the others will progressively be replaced as their fuel runs out, in mid-1993 and late 1997; the second B-series satellite, also to go up on the Long March, is set to go in December launch; Optus is a consortium of BellSouth Corp, Cable & Wireless Plc of Britain and the Australian Mayne Nickless Ltd transport group.
