MOSCOW. Jan 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The U.S. space agency NASA has not given its consent to the Sea Launch company for the launch of the space satellite Intelsat-27 on January 29 instead of January 31 as was initially planned, Sea Launch company AG told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
"The Sea Launch vessels are at the launch point of the IS-27 spacecraft on the equator at 154 degrees west longitude in the Pacific Ocean. It was planned to launch the telecommunications spacecraft on January 29, before the date initially planned, based on the favorable conditions with the approval of NASA. However, that did not happen," the company official said.
The source said NASA did not agree with the new date of the launch under the Sea Launch program due to "a 24-hour delay in the launch of the Altas-5 rocket carrier resulting from a failure in the pyrotechnic equipment distance management system."
"Thus, the time of the Zenith-3SL rocket carrier's launch from the Odyssey mobile floating platform has again been determined as January 31," the source said.
Preparations are currently being made on the Sea Launch complex before the announcement of readiness for the launch of the Zenith-3SL rocket carrier carrying the IS-27 spacecraft in accordance with the specified launch date," the source said.
The Intelsat 27 spacecraft is based on the Boeing 702MP platform. It has a starting mass of 6,215 kilos, its estimated life span is 15 years, and its point on the geostationary orbit is 304.5 degrees east longitude. The spacecraft will provide communication services to civilian and military users in North and South America, over the Atlantic and in Europe.
Zenith-3SL launches are conducted by the Sea Launch international consortium, which was created in 1995. The reorganization of the company was completed in 2010. Sea Launch AG is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.
All in all, Sea Launch has conducted 35 Zenit-3SL launches from a mobile platform in the Pacific Ocean, including three launches conducted in 2012.