Sea Launch AG has been selected to launch the Intelsat 27 communications satellite in early 2013. Intelsat 27 will be placed into an optimized geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) utilizing the highly-proven Sea Launch Zenit 3SL launch system. The launch will occur from Sea Launch’s launch platform Odyssey at its equatorial launch site, located at 154 degrees West longitude, in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Built by Boeing Satellite Systems Inc., the 702-MP Intelsat 27 satellite will serve Intelsat’s customers throughout the Americas and Europe, and will provide increased and enhanced capacity for media, network and government services. It will be located at 304.5 degrees East, and is designed for 15 years of service.
At the time of lift-off, the spacecraft will weigh approximately 6,241 kilograms, making it the heaviest spacecraft to be lifted by the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch system.
“Following on to our recent announcement on the award of the Intelsat 21 launch, Sea Launch looks forward to working hard towards the successful launch of Intelsat 27 in early 2013,” said Kjell Karlsen, President of Sea Launch. “With the continued support of our parent organization, RSC Energia, Sea Launch is regaining momentum and executing on its Business Plan.”
“With six satellites scheduled for launch in the next year, a diversity of reliable solutions for Intelsat’s access to space is essential,” said Thierry Guillemin, Intelsat’s SVP and Chief Technical Officer. “We are pleased to rely on Sea Launch once again to support some of these critical missions.”
Sea Launch and Intelsat signed a multiple launch services agreement for up to five missions on the Sea Launch system in 2010.
About Sea Launch
Sea Launch AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, provides strategic end-to-end launch solutions to the industry’s satellite operator community based on the venerable 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.
