Once again the genius of man who creates sophisticated vehicles for space is reduced to the whims of the weather, and so it is for the upcoming launch of Intelsat-14 which is set for Monday, November 23, with a launch window of 12:50-2:20 a.m. EST. (Sunday night/Monday morning) If the launch slips, the next attempt would be November 24 with the same launch window. Currently, the weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather for launch. A web simulcast will be available on the ULA website at beginning 20 minutes prior to launch.
The Intelsat-14 Satellite will become part of the world’s largest fixed satellite services operated by Intelsat. The satellite will carry 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders across four different beams, covering the Americas, Europe and Africa. As a secondary payload, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration Project is an additional payload on board and represents the next generation of space-based communications.
The Intelsat-14 mission will be flown from Launch Complex (LC-41) at Cape Canaveral, Florida on an Atlas V launch vehicle (431 configuration, tail number AV-024) with three solid rocket boosters (SRB) and a single engine Centaur stage. The Intelsat-14 satellite will be encapsulated in a 4- meter diameter extra extended payload fairing (XEPF) and integrated to the Centaur using a 47-inch diameter payload adapter (PLA), a low shock payload separation system, and electrical and separation system harnesses.
