for the launch of the ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 satellite owned by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris:ETL), on September 23rd. Liftoff is planned for 13:18 pm Pacific Daylight Time (20:18 GMT/UTC), at the opening of a 74-minute launch window.
Upon arrival at the launch site later today, at 154 degrees West Longitude, the Sea Launch team will initiate a 72-hour countdown. After ballasting the Odyssey Launch Platform to launch depth, the team will roll out and erect a Zenit-3SL rocket on the launch pad, execute final tests and then proceed with fueling operations and launch. Prior to fueling, all personnel on the Launch Platform will transfer to the Sea Launch Commander for the duration of the mission. The team monitors both marine and launch operations remotely from the ship, positioned about four miles uprange of the platform.
On launch day, the Zenit-3SL vehicle will lift the 4,600 kilograms (10,141 lbs.) ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 spacecraft into a defined high-perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit. Built by Astrium, an EADS company, its scheduled in-orbit lifetime exceeds 15 years. Its final geostationary orbit will be located at 7 degrees West Longitude, a key neighborhood for Eutelsat’s digital broadcasting markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Sea Launch AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, provides corporate sales, marketing, contracting and management for launch services based on the highly-proven and reliable Zenit-3SL launch system. The Sea Launch system offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for commercial communications satellites and has flown 30 missions, providing diversity of supply, affordability and flexibility for the industry’s satellite operators.