Live from the Sea Launch website we learned that the support team has been safely moved to a position four miles away from the launch platform at sea. Now we wait for the count down from a variety of global locations and dialects. One by one the voices, rich with accents, came over the system with the final count down, Switzerland; Russia; Seattle, Washington; and Long Beach, California...10, nine, eight, and so on...then success—the launch of the Intelsat-21 communications satellite!
The announcement from Sea Launch...
Following acquisition of the spacecraft's signal, Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch AG, congratulated Intelsat and Boeing Satellite Systems.
"We appreciate the trust and confidence that Intelsat has placed in the Sea Launch system and are thrilled to have successfully launched the Intelsat 21 satellite. This is our third mission for Intelsat in the past 11 months, which demonstrates the commitment to schedule and mission assurance by Sea Launch,” Karlsen said. “We are pleased to be a part of Intelsat’s further expansion in the Latin America region. Furthermore, we look forward to the next Intelsat mission on Sea Launch, scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2013. In addition, I want to personally thank all of the Sea Launch and Energia Logistics team for their unwavering dedication and hard work."
“Intelsat 21 will refresh capacity for one of Latin America’s most popular media distribution neighborhoods, serving the continent’s leading DTH and cable programmers,” said Intelsat SVP and Chief Technical Officer Thierry Guillemin. “The satellite will also provide Ku-band mobility coverage across the busy South Atlantic, meeting the broadband connectivity requirements of our maritime and aeronautical customers.”
The announcement released from Intelsat reads
Intelsat S.A., the world's leading provider of satellite services, announced today that a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL launch vehicle successfully launched the Intelsat 21 satellite from a mobile platform in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Liftoff occurred at 2:55 a.m. EDT. Thirty minutes after launch, at 3:25 a.m. EDT, the Intelsat 21 satellite separated from the rocket's upper stage and continued its ascent toward geosynchronous orbit. Signal acquisition occurred at 3:52 a.m. EDT.
Intelsat 21 will serve the leading direct-to-home (DTH) and cable programmers in Latin America. Replacing Intelsat 9, the satellite is designed to provide more than 18 years of service and features C-band services for South America, North America and Europe, and Ku-band services for North America, the Caribbean, Brazil, Europe and Western Africa.
Intelsat 21 also features a Ku-band mobility beam, providing coverage across the South Atlantic to Intelsat's maritime and aeronautical customers. Intelsat's global broadband mobility platform is scheduled for completion in early 2013. The satellite's final orbital location will be 302 degrees East.
"Intelsat 21 will refresh capacity for Latin America's premier video neighborhood and will offer vital communications services spanning four continents," said Intelsat CEO David McGlade. "In addition, Intelsat 21 continues deployment of Intelsat's Ku-band global broadband mobility platform, designed to support the rapid growth in demand for broadband connectivity for maritime and aeronautical applications."
Built by Boeing Satellite Systems, Intelsat 21 is the fourth of five Intelsat launches planned for 2012. Intelsat 23 is scheduled for launch later this year aboard a Proton launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
At the launch, the rocket lifted the 5,984 kilograms (13,192 lbs.) spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital location.
Based upon the Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. (BSSI) 702MP platform, Intelsat 21 will refresh capacity for one of Latin America's most popular media distribution neighborhoods, serving direct-to-home (DTH) and cable programmers. Intelsat 21 will be located at 302 degrees East longitude and will replace the IS-9 satellite.
Sea Launch AG provides launch solutions to the industry's satellite operator community based on the Zenit launch system. These services include the provision of all-inclusive launch services incorporating schedule assurance, financing, risk management; insurance and creative contracting solutions to meet the changing demands of the commercial launch market. Sea Launch AG owns and manages the primary technology, patent and other intellectual property and tangible assets of the company. These include the Launch Platform Odyssey and the Sea Launch Commander vessels located in the Home Port facility in Long Beach, California, and the unique know-how associated with launching satellites from an ocean-based launch platform located directly on the equator. The Sea Launch system offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for commercial communications satellites, providing diversity of supply, affordability and flexibility for the industry's satellite operators.