spacetoday.net: Soyuz launches Israeli satellite

Posted: Sun, Dec 28, 2003, 11:12 AM ET (1612 GMT)
Soyuz launch of Amos 2 satellite (Arianespace)

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched an Israeli communications satellite on Saturday. The Soyuz-Fregat lifted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan at 4:30 pm EST Sunday (2130 GMT, 2:30 am local time Sunday) and released the Amos 2 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) six hours and 45 minutes later. The launch was the first time that the Soyuz booster was used for a GTO mission; the launch vehicle is normally used for missions into low Earth orbit. Amos 2 is a 1,374-kg spacecraft with 14 Ku-band transponders that will be located in geosynchronous orbit at 4 degrees west longitude. The spacecraft will serve portions of the Middle East, Europe, and the eastern US, supplementing the Amos 1 satellite already at that orbital location. Amos 2 was scheduled to launch on an Ariane 5, but satellite delivery delays and limited launch opportunities in the Arianespace launch manifest led to the decision to transfer the launch to a Soyuz marketed by Starsem, a Franco-Russian joint venture partially owned by Arianespace.