Directv's Spaceway F1 arrives for launch *UPDATE*

[dkennedy]

DirecTV's First Spaceway Satellite Prepared for Launch

17-Mar-05

The DIRECTV Group and Boeing announced the arrival of the Spaceway F1 satellite at the Sea Launch home port in Long Beach, California, where it will undergo final preparations for a late April launch aboard a Zenit-3SL vehicle.

Spaceway F1, which is built on the Boeing 702 platform, is described as "the most complex commercial satellite system ever manufactured." The spacecraft includes a flexible payload with a fully steerable downlink antenna that can be reconfigured on orbit.

Spaceway F1 is one of four Boeing-built Ka-band satellites DIRECTV has scheduled for launch over the next three years as part of a historic expansion of programming capacity. The expansion will enable DIRECTV to deliver more than 1,500 local and national high definition channels and other advanced programming services to consumers nationwide by 2007.
www.directv.com

[dkennedy]

Sea Launch Prepares for Liftoff of Spaceway Satellite on April 26
Friday April 22, 7:45 pm ET

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sea Launch team has arrived at its equatorial launch site in preparation for the launch of DIRECTV's Spaceway satellite on Tuesday, April 26, at 12:31:30 am PDT (07:31:30 GMT), at the opening of a half-hour launch window. All systems are proceeding on schedule.

With launch site operations now underway, the marine crew is ballasting the Odyssey Launch Platform to its launch depth to ensure stability. The Sea Launch Commander (Assembly and Command Ship), will be stationed alongside the Odyssey, throughout the weekend, frequently connected by a link-bridge that enables foot traffic between the two vessels. The team will initiate a 72-hour launch countdown tomorrow, April 23.

On the day before launch, the platform will be evacuated, with all personnel safely stationed on the ship, three miles from the platform, throughout launch operations. The rocket will be rolled out of its environmentally-protected hangar and automatically erected on the launch pad at L-27 hours.

Sea Launch's Zenit-3SL vehicle will lift the 6,080 kg (13,376 lb.) Spaceway satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position at 102.8 degrees West Longitude. The Boeing 702 model spacecraft, with a design life of 12 years, was manufactured at Boeing's Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, Calif. It includes a flexible payload with a fully steerable downlink antenna that can be reconfigured on orbit to seamlessly address market conditions. It is the most complex commercial satellite system that Boeing has ever built.

Spaceway, Sea Launch's third mission for DIRECTV, is one of four Boeing-built Ka-band satellites that DIRECTV has scheduled for launch over the next three years as part of an historic expansion of programming capacity that will enable DIRECTV to deliver more than 1,500 local and national High Definition channels and other advanced programming services to consumers nationwide by 2007.


Sea Launch will carry a live satellite feed and streaming video of the entire mission, beginning at 12:15 am PDT (07:15:00 GMT). To downlink the broadcast, transponder coordinates are posted at:

www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html

A simultaneous webcast will be posted at:

www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html


Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and marketed through Boeing Launch Services (www.boeing.com/launch), is the world's most reliable commercial launch services provider. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the proven Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit, yielding best value plus schedule assurance. Sea Launch offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit. For additional information, visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com

[dkennedy]

News: Sea Launch Successfully Delivers Spaceway to OrbitHeaviest Commercial Satellite Launched to Date

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Sea Launch Company today successfully delivered DIRECTV’s Spaceway F1 satellite to orbit, completing the launch of the heaviest commercial satellite to date. Early data indicate the spacecraft is in excellent condition.

The Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket lifted off at 12:31:30 am PDT (07:31:30 GMT), precisely on schedule, from the Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned at 154 degrees West Longitude. All systems performed nominally throughout the flight. The Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the 6,080 kg (13,376 lb) Spaceway satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 102.8 degrees West Longitude. A ground station in South Africa acquired the spacecraft’s first signal less than an hour after liftoff, as planned.

The Boeing 702 model spacecraft, with a design life of 12 years, was manufactured at Boeing’s Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, Calif. It includes a flexible payload with a fully steerable downlink antenna that can be reconfigured on orbit to seamlessly address market conditions.

Following acquisition of the spacecraft’s signal, Jim Maser, president and general manager of Sea Launch, congratulated Boeing and DIRECTV. "Successfully launching the heaviest commercial satellite to date is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved," Maser said. "It was extremely satisfying for us to provide another great launch for DIRECTV and for Boeing and we look forward to many more in the future. And, once again, our accomplished Sea Launch team has raised the bar -- not only for Sea Launch -- but also for the entire launch industry. We are all especially proud of this latest success. We are the commercial heavy weight champions of the world!"

Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and marketed through Boeing Launch Services (http://www.boeing.com/launch), is the world’s most reliable heavy-lift commercial launch service. This international partnership offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the reliable Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit, offering best value plus schedule assurance. For additional information and images of this successfully completed mission, visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com/

Contact: Paula Korn, 562.499.4729 or 562.254.5684 (mobile), [e-mail]

Web site: www.boeing.com/launch

Web site: www.sea-launch.com/