Preparations are moving forward at the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan for the fourth Land Launch mission, the first of a satellite for Intelsat, Ltd. Liftoff on November 29 is planned at 1:00 p.m. PT (21:00 GMT) at the start of a one-hour launch window.
From the Land Launch pad at Area 45, a Zenit-3SLB vehicle will lift the 2,484 kg (5,477 lbs) Intelsat 15 spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 85 degrees East, replacing the Intelsat 709 spacecraft. Orbital Sciences built the Intelsat 15 spacecraft to provide video and data services for Intelsat’s customers operating in the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions as well as in Russia.
Orbital’s STAR-2.4 spacecraft platform carries a Ku-band payload that will produce 4.6 kW of DC power and features advanced antennas, including two 2.3 meter dual-grid deployable antennas as well as a 1.4 meter dual-grid deck-mounted antenna. The Intelsat 15 satellite is expected to have a useful life on orbit of at least 17 years and is part of Intelsat’s 11-satellite launch campaign, the largest in Intelsat’s history. Sea Launch will carry live streaming video of the Intelsat 15 launch, direct from Baikonur Space Center. For launch coverage and additional information about this mission, please visit the company webpage at: www.sea-launch.com.