Long Beach, Calif., January 23, 2007 –The Sea Launch team will initiate a 72-hour countdown at its equatorial launch site today, in preparation for the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES NEW SKIES on Friday, January 26 (changed from January 25). Liftoff is planned at the opening of a 37-minute window, beginning at 3:22 pm Pacific Standard Time (23:22 GMT).
Launch operations are now underway at the Equator, at 154 degrees West Longitude. The Sea Launch Commander is positioned alongside the Odyssey Launch Platform, with the two vessels periodically connected by a link bridge that facilitates the teams’ foot traffic. A day before liftoff, the Zenit-3SL rocket will be erected on the launch pad for final tests on the launch system and the spacecraft, prior to start of the terminal countdown.
During final preparations for liftoff, the platform will be evacuated, with all personnel positioned on the ship, three miles uprange from the platform. At launch, the rocket will lift the 5,920 kg (13,051 lb) spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital location of 57 degrees East Longitude.
The high-power, state-of-the-art NSS-8 satellite is a Boeing 702 spacecraft that carries 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders. It is designed to replace the existing NSS-703 satellite as the centerpiece of NEW SKIES’ strategic Indian Ocean contribution to SES’ global communications network. NSS-8 will support a wide range of functions, including corporate communications, government and military networks, Broadband Internet services and broadcast applications, to countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia. Designed for a 15-year lifespan, the satellite will have 18 kilowatts of total power at the beginning of life on orbit.
Sea Launch will carry live coverage of its first mission for SES NEW SKIES via satellite and also streaming video on the Sea Launch website, beginning at 3:05 pm PST (23:05 GMT) on January 26. Transponder coordinates for downlinking this feed will be posted at www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html. A simultaneous webcast may be viewed at: www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html.
About Sea Launch Company
Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is the most reliable commercial launch services provider. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the robust Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier mass or provide longer life on orbit, offering best value plus schedule assurance. Sea Launch offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit. For additional information and images about the mission, please visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com
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Contact: Paula Korn, 562.499.4729 or 562.254.5684 (mobile), paula.korn@sea-launch.com
During launch operations, please contact our News Center at 562.951.7088 or 562.951.7388
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