The Sea Launch team will initiate a
72-hour countdown tonight in preparation for the launch of Loral’s Telstar
18 communications satellite, scheduled for Monday, June 28, in a launch
window that will open at 8:59pm PDT (3:59 GMT, June 29). All systems are
proceeding on schedule.
The Odyssey Launch Platform and her sister ship, the Sea Launch Commander,
arrived at the launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude last night. The
marine crew began the process of ballasting the Launch Platform about 65
feet, to launch depth, in preparation for launch operations. The vessels
will be stationed alongside each other throughout the weekend, frequently
connected by a link bridge that enables foot traffic between them.
On the day of launch, the platform will be evacuated and all personnel will
be stationed on the ship, positioned three miles uprange, throughout launch
operations. Sea Launch’s Zenit-3SL vehicle will lift the 4640 kg (10,229 lb)
Telstar 18 spacecraft to a high perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit, on
its way to a final orbital position at 138 degrees East Longitude.
Built by Space Systems/Loral and operated by Loral Skynet, both subsidiaries
of Loral Space & Communications, the high-powered 1300-model spacecraft will
carry 54 active transponders – 16 Ku-band transponders and 38 C-band
transponders – that will cover the Asia/Pacific region with multiple
services, including cable programming, direct-to-home broadcasting,
Internet, VSAT and IP-based two-way services within Asia while providing an
inter-connect to the United States.
Sea Launch will provide a live satellite broadcast of the Telstar 18 mission
on June 28, beginning at 8:40pm PDT (3:40 GMT, June 29). The launch program,
featuring live video from the launch site as well as commentary and
interviews, may be downlinked from satellite coordinates posted at:
www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html
A simultaneous webcast will be posted at:
www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html
Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and marketed
through Boeing Launch Services ( www.boeing.com/launch ), is the world’s
most reliable commercial heavy-lift launch services provider. This
multinational partnership offers the most direct and cost-effective route to
geostationary orbit. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the
reliable Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide
longer life on orbit, offering best value plus schedule assurance. For
additional information and images of this mission, please visit the Sea
Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com
