The Odyssey Launch Platform and
the Sea Launch Commander have departed Sea Launch Home Port, for the launch of
the Galaxy IIIC satellite for PanAmSat Corporation. Liftoff is
scheduled for June 15, in a 44-minute launch window that opens at 3:39 pm PDT
(10:39 pm GMT).
The 3,000-mile journey from Sea Launch Home Port, in the Port of Long
Beach, will bring the vessels to a location south of Hawaii, at 154 degrees
West Longitude, where a 72-hour countdown will begin upon arrival. Once the
platform is ballasted to launch depth, the team will perform final tests on
the rocket and spacecraft, and prepare for launch. The 200-foot Sea Launch
rocket will lift the 10,692 lb. (4850 kg) Galaxy IIIC satellite to
geosynchronous transfer orbit.
Galaxy IIIC, a Boeing 702 communications satellite, will operate dual
frequencies and includes 24 C-band transponders and 53 Ku-band transponders.
When it becomes operational in its orbital position at 95 degrees West
Longitude, the spacecraft will provide widespread Internet, video, audio and
data services to areas of the United States and Latin America.
Galaxy IIIC will be the second satellite Sea Launch has deployed for
PanAmSat. The first was PAS-9, a Boeing 601 communication satellite, on
July 28, 2000. Boeing Satellite Systems, the satellite manufacturing arm of
Boeing Space and Communications and a unit of The Boeing Company,
built both the Galaxy IIIC and PAS-9 spacecraft for PanAmSat.
PanAmSat Corporation, based in Wilton, Conn., is a leading provider of
global video and data broadcasting services via satellite. The company builds,
owns and operates networks that deliver entertainment and information to cable
television systems, television broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home operators,
Internet service providers, telecommunications companies and corporations.
Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is a world
leader in providing heavy-lift commercial launch services. 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 proven Zenit-
3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit,
offering high performance and best value. Sea Launch has a current backlog of
17 firm launch contracts. For additional information, visit the Sea Launch
website at: www.sea-launch.com