| Bolstered
by the unqualified success of DemoSat, Sea Launch looked forward to
proving our capability on our first commercial launch, a Hughes-built
HS-601 for DIRECTV, designated DIRECTV 1-R. The world watched closely
as Sea Launch performed a second outstanding mission, with injection
accuracy even better than 1 sigma.
The launch window opened
at 8:28 p.m. PDT on October 9, 1999, a day earlier than scheduled
due to exceptional transit time and smooth launch readiness operations.
Liftoff occurred exactly at 8:28 p.m. All flight events were nominal,
no environment were exceeded, and the spacecraft was separated 62
minutes later. Hughes personnel reported spacecraft acquisition
prior to separation and indicated the spacecraft was healthy. Injection
accuracy was better than one sigma.
|
