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The satellite was to have been launched last week, but wind and an Air Force radar malfunction thwarted the first two attempts. The new launch window is between 9:02 and 10:11 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 21 (6:02 p.m. Wednesday PDT, 0102 Thursday GMT).

The satellite is an HS 601HP model, with 10 kilowatts total spacecraft power at beginning of life. With 43 active transponders in its combination C-band/Ku-band payload, the satellite will deliver a range of television and business communications services from India to Hawaii. Orion 3 will be the first Loral satellite to serve the Asia-Pacific region.

This is a delivery-in-orbit contract, meaning Hughes built the satellite and arranged for its launch. Hughes has long-term contracts with most major launch vehicle providers to ensure that its satellite customers will have timely access to space.

Besides building and launching the satellite, HSC is providing hardware and software for Loral Skynet's control centers in Hawley, Pa., and Three Peaks, Calif.; the primary telemetry, tracking and control station in Kapolei, Hawaii; and the backup station near Seoul, Korea.

This is the third launch this year of a Hughes satellite. HSC is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, having built nearly 40 percent of the geosynchronous satellites in operation. It also is a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S. government, and a builder of weather satellites. HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.