Sea Launch Today for Intelsat

Intelsat is due to launch a new satellite today from a sea-platform. With launch site operations now underway at 154 degrees West Longitude on the Equator, the Odyssey Launch Platform is ballasted to its launch depth and stationed alongside the Sea Launch Commander (Assembly and Command Ship), periodically connected by a link-bridge that enables foot traffic between the two vessels.

A Zenit-3SL rocket will be rolled out of its environmentally protected hangar and automatically erected on the launch pad at L-27 hours. The platform will be evacuated, with all personnel safely stationed on the ship, three miles uprange from the platform, for the remainder of launch operations. On launch day, the rocket will lift the 5,500 kg (12,125 lbs.) IA-8 satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on its way to a final orbital position of 89 degrees West Longitude.

This will be Sea Launch's fifth launch for Loral and the first for Intelsat. The Space Systems/Loral-built IA-8 satellite is designed to provide expanded coverage over the Americas, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Alaska during its 15-year service life. IA-8 will host voice, video and data transmission and distribution services.

Sea Launch will carry a live satellite feed and streaming video of the entire mission, beginning at 5:30 am PDT (12:30 GMT). A webcast may be accessed at: http://www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted to the site on 23rd June 2005