Look out for that Sentra, Pegasus
>Nissan to fill LEO launch gap
>
>According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's Nissan Motor Co. plans to
>join the low and medium Earth orbit satellite launch business by 2001.
>
>Those small spacecraft are usually launched on large rockets, which for
>example can accommodate five Iridiums. Nissan won't offer that, of
>course, but small, solid-fuelled rockets that can put only one satellite
>into orbit at a time. Launch vehicles like that proposed by Nissan may
>be in demand later, when satellite operators will have to replace single
>ageing or malfunctioning satellites at low cost.
>
>The development of the Nissan rocket will reportedly cost some �10
>billion. The launch of a single satellite will be offered at �2 billion
>- a multiple launch on a larger rocket costs four times that much.
>Nissan expects annual sales of �200 billion. (c) Sat-ND 1997
>