34th Sea Launch Mission Scheduled for Early December
The EUTELSAT-70B satellite of Eutelsat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, has arrived in Long Beach, California and been transported to the Sea Launch “Home Port” facility. Following unloading, the satellite was delivered to the clean room area of the 16-acre sites payload processing facility, where mission operations and integration efforts are now underway.
After standalone spacecraft operations are completed, EUTELSAT-70B will be handed over to Sea Launch’s prime contractor, Energia Logistics, Ltd., to be mated with the payload support structure and integrated with the Zenit-3SL launch vehicle before departure to the launch site in November. The launch of the EUTELSAT-70B satellite is scheduled for the early December timeframe.
The EUTELSAT-70B communications satellite departed from the Toulouse, France manufacturing facilities of Astrium, an EADS company on October 15th and arrived at the Long Beach Airport (LGB) on-board an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft yesterday. It was subsequently transferred via surface roads on an oversized transport vehicle with representatives from Eutelsat, Astrium, and Energia Logistics Ltd. on hand to receive the spacecraft.
EUTELSAT-70B will be located at 70.5* East longitude in geostationary orbit where it will replace EUTELSAT-70A, significantly increasing resources and flexibility at an established orbital location.. This new high-capacity Ku-band satellite will be used for a range of professional applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video exchanges in Europe, Africa and Central and South-East Asia.
About Sea Launch AG
Sea Launch AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, provides launch solutions to the industry’s satellite operator community based on the Zenit launch system. These services include the provision of all-inclusive launch services incorporating schedule assurance, financing, risk management; insurance and creative contracting solutions to meet the changing demands of the commercial launch market. Sea Launch AG owns and manages the primary technology, patent and other intellectual property and tangible assets of the company. These include the launch platform Odyssey and the Sea Launch Commander vessels located in the Home Port facility in Long Beach, California, and the unique know-how associated with launching satellites from an ocean-based launch platform located directly on the equator. The Sea Launch system offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for commercial communications satellites, providing diversity of supply, affordability and flexibility for the industry’s satellite operators. For more information, please visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com.
Media Contact: Peter Stier, Sea Launch AG, +1 (562) 499-4726, peter.g.stier@sea-launch.com
