Sea Launch liftoff time for the
DIRECTV 7S spacecraft on May 4th has been updated to 5:42 a.m. PDT (12:42 GMT)
to accommodate availability of the TDRSS (NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite System). Sea Launch uses the TDRSS to acquire telemetry from the
Zenit-3SL launch vehicle during flight. Liftoff remains well within the
mission’s two-hour launch window, which opens at 5:22 a.m. PDT (12:22 GMT).
All operations are proceeding on schedule at the launch site on the
Equator. The Sea Launch Commander is now safely stationed three miles from
the Odyssey Launch Platform for the final hours of the launch countdown. The
launch vehicle now stands erect on the launch pad in preparation for launch.
The Zenit-3SL vehicle will lift the 5,483 kg (12,063 lb.) DIRECTV 7S
satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital
position at 119 degrees West Longitude. Built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L)
at their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif., the
1300-series spacecraft is one of several high capacity direct-to-home (DTH)
broadcast satellites SS/L has produced for DIRECTV, the leading U.S. digital
television provider.
Sea Launch will carry a live satellite feed and streaming video of the
entire mission, beginning at 5:20 a.m. PDT (12:20 GMT). To downlink the
broadcast, transponder coordinates are 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 launch services provider. 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, yielding best value plus schedule
assurance. Sea Launch offers the most direct and cost-effective route to
geostationary orbit. For additional information, visit the Sea Launch website
at: www.sea-launch.com.
