Sea Launch AG has successfully launched the Intelsat 19 satellite from the Equator on the ocean-based Launch PlatformOdyssey, completing its eleventh mission for Intelsat S.A. and marking Sea Launch’s first of three planned missions in 2012.
The Zenit-3SL rocket carrying the spacecraft lifted off at 22:23 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Thursday, May 31st (05:23 UTC/GMT, Friday, June 1) from the launch platform, positioned at 154 degrees West longitude in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean. One hour later, the Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the satellite, weighing 5,600 kilograms (12,345 lbs.) and built by Space Systems/Loral, into geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position at 166 degrees East longitude. Operators at the Intelsat Launch Control Center acquired the spacecraft’s first signals from orbit shortly after spacecraft separation. All systems performed nominally throughout the launch mission.
Following acquisition of the spacecraft’s signal, Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch AG, congratulated Intelsat and Space Systems/Loral.
“We are thrilled to complete our eleventh successful launch for Intelsat,” Karlsen said. “We look forward to our next Intelsat mission in the third quarter of 2012, as well as future launches with our long-time colleagues at Space Systems/Loral. The Sea Launch and Energia Logistics teams have successfully met our commitments once again, and I want to personally thank all of them for their unwavering dedication and hard work.”
“Intelsat 19 will provide capacity specifically designed for our customers to offer enhanced media content delivery, broadband and mobility services across the Pacific Ocean region,” said Intelsat SVP and Chief Technical Officer Thierry Guillemin. “Intelsat 19 also hosts customized Ku-band mobility beams that will provide coverage over the Indian Ocean’s busiest shipping routes. We thank Sea Launch for successfully launching our spacecraft, and are glad to count them again as one of our trusted providers of access to space.”
About Sea Launch AG Sea Launch AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, provides strategic end-to-end 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 as well as 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. Sea Launch AG contracts directly and exclusively with Energia Logistics Ltd. as its technical partner for the delivery and execution of Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch services. 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.
About Intelsat
Intelsat is the leading provider of satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.
Contact:
Peter Stier, +1 562 499 4726, peter.stier@sea-launch.ch
