spacetoday.net: Atlas 3 launches Asian communications satellite

Posted: Sat, Mar 13, 2004, 8:45 AM ET (1345 GMT)
Atlas 3 launch of MBSAT (ILS)

An Atlas 3 booster successfully launched a communications satellite early Saturday that will serve mobile phone users in the Far East. The Atlas 3A lifted off on schedule at 12:40 am EST (0450 GMT) Saturday from pad 36B at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its payload, MBSAT, separated from the rocket 29 minutes later after the booster placed the spacecraft into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. MBSAT is a Space Systems/Loral 1300 series communications spacecraft that will be used by Mobile Broadcasting Corp (MBCO) of Japan and SK Telecom of Korea to provide multimedia services, including MPEG-4 video, to mobile devices in those countries. The 4,146-kg spacecraft carries a combination of Ku- and S-band transponders, and features a 12-meter S-band high-gain antenna. The launch was scheduled for Friday but was delayed 24 hours for what was officially described as "administrative purposes", but what Spaceflight Now and Space News later reported were last-minute negotiations for the insurance on the spacecraft, which is similar to another SS/L 1300 that suffered a solar panel deployment problem after its launch in January. The launch is the 70th consecutive successful launch for the Atlas family of vehicles, including the Atlas 2, 3 and 5 versions. Both the Atlas 2 and 3 are scheduled to be retired later this year.