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Odyssey

Odyssey [Odyssey]

Odysses was a planned MEO mobile communications satellite system by Odyssey Telecommunications International, a consortium consisting of TRW, Teleglobe and several smaller partners.

The constellation was to consist of 12 satellites in 10354 km orbits with 50° inclination distributed to three orbital planes. Two satellites would be held as ground spares.

The satellites would have provided L-band uplink and S-band downlink to mobile devices. Each satellite was to provide 37 uplink and 32 downlink cells. Three gimbaled Ka-band antennas would have provide connection to the ground stations.

The satellites were baselined to be launches single on Delta II class vehicles or in pairs on Atlas-2AS, Ariane-4 or Proton-K Blok-D class vehicles.

In 1996 Odyssey ordered 14 Advanced Bus AB940 satellites from TRW with the first six to be launched in 1998. In 1999 the 12 satellite constellation was to be completed.

After running into financial troubles and having to deal with an patent issue with competitor ICO and facing decreased market prospects, the project was cancelled and company dissolved in 1998.

Nation: USA
Type / Application: Communication
Operator: Odyssey Telecommunications International
Contractors: TRW
Equipment: integrated L- and S-band payload, Ka-band downlinks
Configuration: TRW AB940 bus
Propulsion: ?
Power: 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime: 15 years
Mass: 1917 - 2026 kg; 1086 kg (dry)
Orbit: 10354 km × 10354 km, 50°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
Odyssey 1 - cancelled LC-36 Atlas-2AS with Odyssey 2
Odyssey 2 - cancelled LC-36 Atlas-2AS with Odyssey 1
Odyssey 3 - cancelled
Odyssey 4 - cancelled
Odyssey 5 - cancelled
Odyssey 6 - cancelled
Odyssey 7 - cancelled
Odyssey 8 - cancelled
Odyssey 9 - cancelled
Odyssey 10 - cancelled
Odyssey 11 - cancelled
Odyssey 12 - cancelled
Odyssey 13 - cancelled
Odyssey 14 - cancelled

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