Long Beach, Calif., August 18, 2006 – The Sea Launch team has arrived at the launch site and will initiate a 72-hour countdown in preparation for the launch of the Koreasat 5 communications satellite, scheduled for Monday, August 21, at the opening of a one-hour launch window, at 8:27 pm Pacific Daylight Time (03:27 GMT, Aug. 22).
With launch site operations underway at 154 degrees West Longitude on the Equator, the Odyssey Launch Platform is ballasted to launch depth, stationed alongside the Sea Launch Commander (Assembly and Command Ship). A Zenit-3SL rocket will be rolled out of its environmentally protected hangar and automatically erected onto the launch pad. The Sea Launch team will be performing final tests on the launch system and the spacecraft, leading up to the terminal count for liftoff.
The platform will be evacuated, with all personnel positioned on the ship, three miles uprange from the platform, during final preparations for liftoff. On launch day, the rocket will lift the 4448 kg (9,806 lb) Spacebus 4000 C1 spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on its way to a final orbital position of 113 degrees East Longitude.
Built by Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes, France, the hybrid spacecraft carries 36 active transponders in multi-band frequencies. Koreasat 5 is owned jointly by the Agency for Defense Development of Korea and KT Corporation. The Agency for Defense Development has managed the military side of the Koreasat 5 program and the Joint Chief of Staff of Korean Armed Forces will operate SHF and Ka-band transponders on the spacecraft to provide satellite communications services.
KT Corporation will operate 24 Ku-band transponders. Half of these will be capable of switching to regional beams to provide advanced broadband multimedia and digital television transmission services, as well as conventional telecom services to operators in the Asia-Pacific region. The remaining 12 Ku-band transponders will replace Koreasat 2 capacity for domestic use in South Korea. While Koreasat 5 is designed for a 15-year lifespan, Sea Launch’s direct insertion into equatorial orbit is expected to yield additional years of fuel life.
Sea Launch will carry a live satellite feed and streaming video of the Koreasat 5 mission, beginning at 8:10 pm PDT (03:10 GMT, Aug. 22). Transponder coordinates for downlinking this feed are posted at: www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html. A simultaneous webcast may be viewed at: www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html
Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is the world’s 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 spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit, offering best value plus schedule assurance. For additional information and images about this mission, please visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com
###
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
|
