LIVE: Sea Launch - Atlantic Bird 7 - September 24, 2011

[Ford Mustang]

Mission successful!  Spacecraft acquisition!  Congratulations!

[Ford Mustang]

Coverage has ended.  No launch replay.

[Salo]

Congratulations! 

[Ronsmytheiii]

here is the launch (not my video but oh well)

[Salo]

Exact launch time 20:17:59.064 UTC.

[Chris Bergin]

Sea Launch Successfully Delivers Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 Spacecraft into Orbit
BERN, Switzerland, September 24, 2011 - Sea Launch AG has successfully launched the ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 broadcast satellite from the Equator on the ocean-based Odyssey Launch Platform, marking its first mission for Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and its awaited return to launch operations following re-organization in late 2010.
The Zenit-3SL rocket carrying the ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 spacecraft lifted off at 13:18 Pacific Daylight Time (20:18 GMT/UTC) on September 24 from the launch platform, positioned at 154 degrees West Longitude in international waters of the Pacific Ocean. One hour and seven minutes later, the Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the satellite, weighing approximately 4,600 kilograms (10,141 lbs.) and built by Astrium, an EADS company, into geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position at 7 degrees West Longitude. Operators at the Hartebeesthoek ground station near Pretoria, South Africa acquired the spacecraft’s first signals from orbit shortly after spacecraft separation. All systems performed nominally throughout the launch mission.
"We offer our sincere congratulations to Eutelsat, and to Astrium for this outstanding success,” said Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch AG. “We’re very proud to play a role in Eutelsat’s continued and expanding success. We thank you for your renewed trust and confidence in our system and our team. I also want to thank and congratulate the Sea Launch and Energia Logistics teams, RSC Energia, as well as all of the suppliers and contractors around the world who support us.”
Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, added: “The powerful ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 satellite will further consolidate Eutelsat’s resources for vibrant digital broadcasting markets across the Middle East and North Africa. Our thanks go to Sea Launch AG, Energia Logistics and RSC Energia for this precisely-executed launch and their extreme professionalism during this important campaign. With tonight’s launch successfully completed, we are now fully focused on collaborating with our industrial partner, Astrium, to bring ATLANTIC BIRD 7 into full commercial service next month.”
About Sea Launch AG
Sea Launch AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, provides corporate sales, marketing, contracting and management for launch services based on the highly-proven and reliable Zenit-3SL launch system. The Sea Launch system offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for commercial communications satellites and has flown 31 missions, providing diversity of supply, affordability, flexibility and assured access to space for the industry's satellite operators. For more information, please visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com.
About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A. With capacity commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. As of 30 June 2011, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels. More than 1,100 channels are broadcast via its HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East alone which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ just over 700 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries.
www.eutelsat.com,
# # #
Contact:
Peter G. Stier, +1 562 499 4726, [email protected]

[robertross]

here is the launch (not my video but oh well)

thanks for the link Ron.

Congrats to the teams, and welcome back Sea Launch!

[sdsds]

Congrats to the teams, and welcome back Sea Launch!

Is it correct the most recent previous launch was in April, 2009?  So there was a "gap" of 2.5 years?

[robertross]

Congrats to the teams, and welcome back Sea Launch!

Is it correct the most recent previous launch was in April, 2009?  So there was a "gap" of 2.5 years?

Looks to be correct...how time flies

Last launch seems to have been for the SICRAL 1B.

[edkyle99]

here is the launch (not my video but oh well)

Liftoff sounds seem fake in the video.  A lip-sync launch? 

 - Ed Kyle

[hop]

Liftoff sounds seem fake in the video.  A lip-sync launch? 

In the webcast, the video was badly out of sync with the live commentary, e.g. calling staging when display had more than a minute to go.

Still, can't complain to much if that's the biggest "funny" of the mission. Congratulations to Sea Launch on a successful return

[Andy USA]

Congrats to the teams, and welcome back Sea Launch!

Is it correct the most recent previous launch was in April, 2009?  So there was a "gap" of 2.5 years?

You just made Chris cry by not reading his article

"Saturday's launch marks a new era for Sea Launch - after they went out of business two years ago, with their previous launch - with Italy's SICRAL 1A - occurring in April, 2009."

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/09/sea-launch-zenit-3sl-launch-atlantic-bird-7/

[Prober]

the After launch pic.
Looks in great shape, but thats a mix of burn, seawater etc.  How do you clean it?

[Lewis007]

Some launch pix (source: Eutelsat)

[yaroslav]

here is the launch (not my video but oh well)
...

looks like operator had some "gorilka" for premedication 

[yaroslav]

Host for your pictures

[Nicolas PILLET]

It was Bloc DM-SL n°31L ?

[yaroslav]

here is the launch (not my video but oh well)
...

launch only part

[kevin-rf]

Glad to see them back! Congrads!!!

[Prober]

another after pic