Telesat Receives $132.7 Million Insurance Payment for Telstar 14R

[Satellite TODAY 01-19-12] Canadian satellite operator Telesat received a $132.7 million insurance payment from a partial-loss claim it filed after its Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul-2 satellite failed to deploy its solar arrays in May, according to an U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing issued Jan. 17.
   The deployment anomaly on Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul-2 forced Telesat to reduce the satellite’s broadcast output by 40 percent. The glitch also left one of the satellite’s solar arrays in a position that will make navigation of the satellite difficult, Telesat said, reducing the satellite’s in-orbit lifespan by three years.
   Telesat’s partial owner Loral Space and Communications said in the filing that the operator received the insurance payment in December.