Author Topic: LIVE: Sea Launch - SICRAL 1B - April 20, 2009 (Read 58525 times)

satlaunch · « **on:** 11/15/2008 08:42 am »

Sea Launch Prepares for the Launch of SICRAL 1B

Long Beach, Calif., November 14, 2008 -- Sea Launch took delivery of the SICRAL 1B communications satellite this week at the Payload Processing Facility at Sea Launch Home Port in the Port of Long Beach. With additional arrivals this month of associated hardware and personnel, preparations for launch operations are now underway in support of this mission in January 2009.

Sea Launch will be inserting the SICRAL 1B communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit for Telespazio, a Thales/Finmeccanica company, based in Rome. A contract signed with Telespazio in 2007 provides for the launch of SICRAL 1B to orbit on a Zenit-3SL vehicle. Built in Torino by Thales Alenia Space Italia, a Thales/Finmeccanica company, the dual-use Italsat 3000 bus spacecraft was integrated and tested in Cannes, France.

SICRAL 1B will provide strategic and tactical communications services for the Italian armed forces, in Italy and abroad, as well as ensuring mobile communications with land, naval and air platforms. It will also provide NATO forces with UHF and SHF SATCOM capabilities.

The launch of the SICRAL 1B satellite will follow the successful deployment and operation of SICRAL 1A, part of Italy’s first military communications satellite system dedicated to national security. SICRAL 1B has an expected operating life of 13 years and is designed to extend the potential of the system within NATO programs until 2019. As an investor in the SICRAL 1B program, Telespazio will have access of some of the satellite’s transmission capacity from its final orbital position at 11.8 degrees East Longitude.

http://www.sea-launch.com/news_releases/2008/nr_081411.html

SIM city · « **Reply #1 on:** 11/29/2008 01:34 am »

If they took delivery of the satellite a couple of week ago, why aren't they launching until January?

anik · « **Reply #2 on:** 11/29/2008 06:03 am »

Quote from: SIM city on 11/29/2008 01:34 am

If they took delivery of the satellite a couple of week ago, why aren't they launching until January?

Probably due to necessity of performing of planned annual maintenance service of the Odyssey launch platform.

anik · « **Reply #3 on:** 12/16/2008 01:54 pm »

The launch is currently planned on February 19, but it depends on Sicral 1B satellite, which has technical problems, which can require its returning in Europe.

SIM city · « **Reply #4 on:** 12/22/2008 03:18 pm »

Quote from: anik on 12/16/2008 01:54 pm

The launch is currently planned on February 19, but it depends on Sicral 1B satellite, which has technical problems, which can require its returning in Europe.

Any more word on what the problem might be with the satellite. Also, does anyone have confirmation of a rocket shipment to Long Beach?

ugordan · « **Reply #5 on:** 01/07/2009 09:00 am »

I suppose this is as good a place to post this video as any. Engineering slow motion footage of a SeaLaunch Zenit-3SL I ran across. If this was already posted, please delete.

cb6785 · « **Reply #6 on:** 01/07/2009 09:04 am »

Quote from: ugordan on 01/07/2009 09:00 am

I suppose this is as good a place to post this video as any. Engineering slow motion footage of a SeaLaunch Zenit-3SL I ran across. If this was already posted, please delete.

Who ever combined it with "the great gig in the sky": YEEEEEEEEEAH!!!!

SIM city · « **Reply #7 on:** 01/12/2009 07:24 pm »

The SL mission page is back to being under construction and all of the mission information has been removed. http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm

Is the satellite heading back to Thales?

mlorrey · « **Reply #8 on:** 01/12/2009 09:25 pm »

Quote from: SIM city on 01/12/2009 07:24 pm

The SL mission page is back to being under construction and all of the mission information has been removed. http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm

Is the satellite heading back to Thales?

Page looks fine to me.

SIM city · « **Reply #9 on:** 01/13/2009 01:23 pm »

Quote from: mlorrey on 01/12/2009 09:25 pm

Quote from: SIM city on 01/12/2009 07:24 pm
The SL mission page is back to being under construction and all of the mission information has been removed. http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm

Is the satellite heading back to Thales?

Page looks fine to me.

All of the content on the mission plan is gone and it's back to one paragraph, though it still says February. There has been talk about sending the satellite back to the factory.

anik · « **Reply #10 on:** 01/13/2009 04:58 pm »

FAA page has February 18 launch date.

satlaunch · « **Reply #11 on:** 01/15/2009 01:22 pm »

Quote from: SIM city on 01/13/2009 01:23 pm

All of the content on the mission plan is gone and it's back to one paragraph, though it still says February. There has been talk about sending the satellite back to the factory.

All mission info is back again.

http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.htm

yaroslav · « **Reply #12 on:** 01/25/2009 02:10 pm »

Quote from: ugordan on 01/07/2009 09:00 am

I suppose this is as good a place to post this video as any. Engineering slow motion footage of a SeaLaunch Zenit-3SL I ran across. If this was already posted, please delete.

.avi can be found at http://cad.kiev.ua/~slavik/opora.zenit.3sl.sea.launch.avi

link will be actual for month or two =)

vt_hokie · « **Reply #13 on:** 01/25/2009 06:38 pm »

Quote from: cb6785 on 01/07/2009 09:04 am

Who ever combined it with "the great gig in the sky": YEEEEEEEEEAH!!!!

Hehe...yeah, I second that!

SIM city · « **Reply #14 on:** 01/29/2009 05:08 pm »

http://smi.dp.ua/dnepropetrovsk/sotrudniki-konstruktorskogo-byuro-imeni-akademika-yangelya-106.html

This tidbit says there are Ukranians heading to Italy next week who are working on this mission. The platform would have had to have left already for a mid-February flight, so does this mean the launch won't be anytime soon...

anik · « **Reply #15 on:** 01/30/2009 03:34 pm »

The launch date is February 25 for now.

JulesVerneATV · « **Reply #16 on:** 02/02/2009 12:57 pm »

good news, sounds like they got those problems ironed out

anik · « **Reply #17 on:** 02/03/2009 05:36 pm »

March already, according to http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

anik · « **Reply #18 on:** 02/10/2009 02:14 pm »

MSDB shows the middle of March as the launch date (probably, 11th). But I was told that Sicral 1B satellite has technical problems again. For now it is not clear yet whether they can be resolved in US.

anik · « **Reply #19 on:** 02/12/2009 06:02 pm »

If repair of satellite occurs in Long Beach the launch will be in the end of March, if Sicral 1B departs to Europe the launch will be in April.