LONG BEACH, CA - SeaLaunch scored its fourth success of 2008 last night with the launch o a communications satellite for satellite television giant DISH Network. The Russian-built Zenit 3SL lifted off from SeaLaunch's floating platform in the South Pacific at 1:21 a.m. EDT to begin an hour long mission to deliver the EchoStar XI spacecraft to geostationary transfer orbit.
IMAGE: ECHOSTAR XI ORBITAL INSERTION ACCURACY IMAGE: ORBITAL GROUND TRACK IMAGE: MISSION FLIGHT PROFILE IMAGE: ORBITAL PHASES VIDEO: POSTLAUNCH SPEECHES VIDEO: SEALAUNCH LIFTS OFF WITH ECHOSTAR XI VIDEO: ZENIT-3SL ECHOSTAR XI MISSION PROFILE VIDEO: ECHOSTAR XI LAUNCH CAMPAIGN MILESTONES VIDEO: SEALAUNCH HOME PORT ACTIVITIES VIDEO: PRELAUNCH INTERVIEWS VIDEO: ECHOSTAR XI BACKGROUND VIDEO VIDEO: DISH NETWORK BACKGROUND VIDEO VIDEO: SEALAUNCH MISSION HISTORY VIDEO "Congratulations to DISH Network, and to Space Systems/Loral for tonight's outstanding success," said Kjell Karlsen, president and general manager of Sea Launch. "We're proud of our role in DISH Network's continued success. We thank you for your continued trust and confidence in our system and our team. I also want to thank the Sea Launch team, the Sea Launch partners, and all the suppliers and contractors around the world who support us." Lighting up the sea for miles around its equatorial launch site, the 200 foot tall rocket raced skyward and arced to the east, rapidly gathering speed as the roar of launch rattled the SeaLaunch Commander control ship miles away. Eight and a half minutes after launch, the Block DM third stage fired its engine for the first of two burns, the first lasting for about 5 minutes to place the upper stage and payload into a preliminary orbit. The vehicle coasted for a half-hour following the first burn before the upper stage engine once again roared to life for a second and final engine firing, this time burning for 7 minutes. Shortly after engine shutdown, the Block DM release the EchoStar XI payload into geostationary transfer orbit and completing the fourth of six missions SeaLaunch has planned for 2008. Operators at the Gnangara ground station in Perth, Australia, acquired the spacecraft's first signals from orbit shortly after spacecraft separation. All systems performed nominally throughout the mission. The 12,150 pound spacecraft was placed into a highly elliptical orbit with an apogee 22,149 miles above Earth and a low point just 466 miles high. EchoStar XI will use its own onboard thrusters to circularize its orbit with an altitude of 22,300 miles before completing on-orbit checkout and entering service at 110 degrees West Longitude. EchoStar XI has a design life of 15 years. The EchoStar XI satellite was manufactured by California company Space Systems/Loral and will provide enhanced direct-to-home television broadcasting to DISH Network customers in the United States and North America. "For the third mission in a row, Sea Launch has successfully launched a satellite for DISH Network, and we are thrilled to add our eleventh high-power satellite to our fleet," said Rohan Zaveri, vice president of Space Programs for DISH Network. "We look forward to beginning testing and ultimately enhancing our already extensive, high quality programming lineup." (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)
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