Sea Launch places Italian satellite in orbit
Posted: Mon, Apr 20, 2009, 1:42 PM ET (1742 GMT)
A Sea Launch rocket successfully launched an Italian military communications satellite early Monday. The Zenit-3SL lifted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform, on the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, at 4:16 am EDT (0816 GMT) and inserted the Sicral 1B satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit less than two hours later. The spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space for the Italian Ministry of Defense, weighed just over 3,000 kilograms at launch and carries a suite of EHF/Ka-band, UHF-band, and SHF-band transponders for use by the Italian military and NATO. The spacecraft will be located in GEO at 11.8 degrees east. The launch was the 30th for Sea Launch dating back a decade, but the first of perhaps only two scheduled for this year by the multinational venture.
A Sea Launch rocket successfully launched an Italian military communications satellite early Monday. The Zenit-3SL lifted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform, on the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, at 4:16 am EDT (0816 GMT) and inserted the Sicral 1B satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit less than two hours later. The spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space for the Italian Ministry of Defense, weighed just over 3,000 kilograms at launch and carries a suite of EHF/Ka-band, UHF-band, and SHF-band transponders for use by the Italian military and NATO. The spacecraft will be located in GEO at 11.8 degrees east. The launch was the 30th for Sea Launch dating back a decade, but the first of perhaps only two scheduled for this year by the multinational venture.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, April 26
Firefly Alpha mission slated to launch from Vandenberg SFB on Sunday morning
Lompoc Record — 9:36 am ET (1336 GMT) Vandenberg’s Next Mission: Firefly Alpha Rocket Launch on Sunday
Noozhawk — 9:35 am ET (1335 GMT) Space Systems Command Expands Commercial Space Vehicle Processing Capacity
US Space Force — 9:35 am ET (1335 GMT) Gayle King Is “Not Focusing” on Blue Origin Backlash and Would “Consider” Going Back to Space: “I’m Definitely Open to It”
Hollywood Reporter — 9:32 am ET (1332 GMT) Blue Origin Flight ‘Really Was a Dream Come True’ for Katy Perry Despite Fan Backlash Over Stunt
In Touch — 9:32 am ET (1332 GMT) |
