Wired for 2, Satellite Mission Was One Big $150-Million Flop

DENVER — A Martin Marietta Corp. rocket failed to deploy a $150-million satellite because the contractor’s technicians wired the craft to carry two satellites when only one was aboard, company officials said.

Technicians in charge of the ill-fated Commercial Titan rocket’s electrical system miscommunicated with computer software engineers in the same building, company officials said Monday.

The rocket’s only payload was the 5-ton Intelsat communications satellite that was left stranded in space Wednesday when it failed to separate from the Titan’s upper stage, a clamshell-like device that can house up to two satellites.

Space analysts say the mistake may cost as much as $500 million, including lost revenue from transmitting telephone calls and television signals.

The satellite remains in an orbit closer to Earth than is useful, with little chance for recovery.

Martin Marietta officials at Cape Canaveral, Fla., found the same wiring problem in an identical Commercial Titan rocket scheduled to be launched in June, carrying another Intelsat satellite.