BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the countdown and flight of the Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket with the Spaceway 1 broadcasting spacecraft for DIRECTV. Reload this page for the latest on the mission.

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2005
0850 GMT (4:50 a.m. EDT)

The first of several new satellites to substantially expand the high-definition channel offering by direct-to-home television broadcaster DIRECTV successfully rocketed into Earth orbit this morning.

The commercial Sea Launch Zenit 3SL booster put the Spaceway 1 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit following a 30-minute flight that began at 0731 GMT (3:31 a.m. EDT) from a converted oil-drilling platform floating in equatorial waters of the Pacific about 1,400 miles south of Hawaii.

The two Ukrainian-made lower stages of the rocket performed their firings to propel the Russian Block DM-SL upper stage and Spaceway 1 satellite out of the atmosphere during the initial 9 minutes of flight. The upper stage then took over, completing one engine burn to reach the intended orbit.

While flying above the eastern coast of Brazil, explosive bolts holding the 13,376-pound satellite to the spent rocket motor were detonated, allowing small springs to release Spaceway 1. By design, tip-off rates were imparted on the satellite to create a gentle tumble as it moved away at one-foot-per-second.

"Was that a great launch or what?" Jim Maser, president and general manager of Sea Launch, said to the cheering crowd of VIPs monitoring the mission from Long Beach, Calif. "I have to say this was our 16th launch and it has absolutely been one of the smoothest from beginning to end. We didn't have any hitches, the countdown went very smoothly and the launch was right on the money."

Controllers made first contact with the free-flying spacecraft about 50 minutes after liftoff through the Hartebeesthoek tracking site near Johannesburg, South Africa.

The craft is the heaviest commercial communications satellite launched to date, eclipsing the record set last month when the 13,138-pound Inmarsat 4-F1 was carried into orbit aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

From its operational position in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles over the equator at 102.8 degrees West longitude, Spaceway 1 will use its Ka-band communications payload for television and broadband services to support DIRECTV's 13.9 million subscribers across America. The Boeing 702-model satellite has a 12-year life expectancy.

After a checkout period, Spaceway 1 will go into service this summer to begin DIRECTV's new initiative to transmit more than 1,500 national and local high-definition channels. It will be joined by three other satellites -- Spaceway 2 later this year and DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11 in 2007 -- to fully implement the system.

Meanwhile, a Russian Proton/Breeze M rocket managed by International Launch Services is scheduled to put up the DIRECTV 8 spacecraft on May 21 to replace an aging satellite in the DIRECTV fleet.

"Our satellites, which are the backbone of DIRECTV, make it possible for us to offer new and expanded services to our customers," said Jim Butterworth, senior vice president of Communication Systems at DIRECTV.

For Sea Launch, the Odyssey platform and command ship are expected back in port within two weeks to begin preparations for another mission this summer.

0822 GMT (4:22 a.m. EDT)

A communications link has been established with Spaceway 1, confirming the satellite is operating.

0801 GMT (4:01 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 30 minutes, 7 seconds. SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The Spaceway 1 high-definition television relay spacecraft for DIRECTV has been released from the Block DM-SL upper stage to complete this 16th Sea Launch flight.

Controllers expect to acquire the first signals from the newly-launched Boeing-made satellite in about 20 minutes via the Hartebeesthoek ground tracking station in South Africa.

0759 GMT (3:59 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 28 minutes. Deployment of the spacecraft from the upper stage is about two minutes away. During this coast period between completion of the Block DM-SL stage's burn and spacecraft separation, the stage is providing the necessary control and orientation for payload release.

0756 GMT (3:56 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 25 minutes. The rocket is soaring high over equatorial South America now. Spaceway will separate from the launch vehicle above the eastern shore of Brazil.

0752 GMT (3:52 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 20 minutes, 46 seconds. The Block DM-SL's main engine has shut down, completing the powered phase of this morning's launch. The stage will now coast for about 10 minutes before deploying the Spaceway satellite.

0750 GMT (3:50 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 18 minutes, 30 seconds. Just under two minutes of propulsion are remaining from the Block DM-SL upper stage.

0746 GMT (3:46 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 15 minutes. No problems have reported by Sea Launch so far in this morning's ascent.

0742 GMT (3:42 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 11 minutes. The upper stage will fire for more than 9.5 minutes to achieve the proper orbit.

0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 8 minutes, 57 seconds. The Block DM-SL upper stage has ignited for its one and only firing this morning to accelerate the Spaceway 1 spacecraft from the current suborbital trajectory to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 8 minutes, 33 seconds. The second stage vernier engines have shut down and the spent stage has been jettisoned. It will impact the Pacific about 4,600 km downrange from the launch platform.

0738 GMT (3:38 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes, 9 seconds. The second stage RD-120 main engine has shut down. The vernier steering engines are still burning as designed.

0738 GMT (3:38 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 6 minutes, 50 seconds. The second stage is throttling down in preparation for engine cutoff.

0737 GMT (3:37 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 6 minutes. The vehicle remains stable on the second stage thrust.

0736 GMT (3:36 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes. Second stage engine pressures are normal as the motor continues to fire.

0735 GMT (3:35 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 4 minutes, 10 seconds. NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System has acquired the vehicle to receive telemetry for transmission to Sea Launch.

0735 GMT (3:35 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 3 minutes, 45 seconds. The rocket's payload fairing, or nose cone, is being jettisoned. It protected the satellite cargo during atmospheric ascent. The nose cone will impact the Pacific about 1,000 km downrange.

0734 GMT (3:34 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 35 seconds. The second stage engine has been ignited for its firing.

0734 GMT (3:34 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The first stage RD-171 engine has shut down and the spent stage was jettisoned. It will impact the Pacific Ocean approximately 770 km downrange from the Odyssey launch platform.

0733 GMT (3:33 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 1 minute, 30 seconds. The official liftoff time was 0731:29.11 GMT.

0732 GMT (3:32 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 1 minute, 10 seconds. The vehicle has passed through the region of maximum dynamic pressure.

0732 GMT (3:32 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 45 seconds. The first stage main engine is firing normally to propel the 20-story Zenit 3SL rocket into the tropical night sky.

0731:30 GMT (3:31:30 a.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of DIRECTV's powerful Spaceway 1 broadcasting satellite aboard the Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket from the Odyssey platform positioned in the equatorial Pacific.

0730:30 GMT (3:30:30 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 1 minute and counting. Final approval for liftoff is being given.

0729:30 GMT (3:29:30 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. The engine start preparations are beginning to ready the first stage RD-171 powerplant for ignition. The Russian-made engine has four nozzles and powers the rocket for the first two-and-a-half minutes of flight.

0728:30 GMT (3:28:30 a.m. EDT)

Just three minutes remain in this three-day automated launch countdown.

0725:30 GMT (3:25:30 a.m. EDT)

Sea Launch is not reporting any problems as the count enters the final six minutes. The Zenit booster is fully fueled and ready to fly.

0721 GMT (3:21 a.m. EDT)

Weather conditions are reported to be excellent at the launch site, with a temperature of 82 degrees, winds from the east-southeast at 10 knots and seas of 5.9 feet.

0716 GMT (3:16 a.m. EDT)

Countdown operations appear to be progressing as scheduled for this morning's Sea Launch mission to place the Spaceway 1 communications spacecraft into orbit for DIRECTV. The transporter/erector arm is detaching from the Zenit 3SL rocket for retraction as clocks continue to tick toward liftoff at 0731:30 GMT (3:31:30 a.m. EDT).

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2005

A powerful new satellite promising to bring direct-to-home broadcaster DIRECTV into the fast-growing market for high-definition television is waiting to be hauled into orbit Tuesday morning from a platform in the remote Pacific Ocean.

The Spaceway 1 satellite will be blasted into space aboard the 16th Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket at 0731:30 GMT (3:31:30 a.m. EDT), or Monday evening at the liftoff locale along the equator at 154 degrees West longitude.

The hefty 13,376-pound spacecraft will be delivered directly into an egg-shaped geostationary transfer orbit about a half-hour after launch. It then will undergo a series of engine firings to circularize its orbit to an altitude of 22,300 miles along the equator and deploy its 134-foot wide solar arrays.

After a checkout period, Spaceway 1 will go into service this summer to begin DIRECTV's new program offering for both national and local high-definition channels to its customers across the United States. It will later be joined by three other satellites to fully implement the system by 2007.

From its operational position at about 102.8 degrees West longitude, Spaceway 1 and its sister-satellite Spaceway 2 will be able to broadcast up to 500 high-definition channels through their Ka-band communications payloads. Broadband connections and other standard video services will also be part of the craft's 12-year mission.

The pair is dubbed by Boeing as the most complex commercial satellite system ever built. Officials say the new constellation will provide scores more capacity than current analog communications systems or any other commercial space-based system in operation today.

By 2007, the number of high-definition channels will be expanded to over 1,500, and DIRECTV says its next-generation services will be able to reach every U.S. household.

Spaceway 1 carries a two-meter transmit antenna with full steering ability that can form multiple spot beams to customize programming in different regions of the country. This communications payload has a total bandwidth capacity of about 10 gigabytes per second.

The satellite - built by Boeing in El Segundo, California - was shipped the short distance to the Sea Launch home port in Long Beach in March, where it was loaded with its chemical maneuvering propellant and xenon fuel for its small station-keeping thrusters.

Spaceway 1 was then shrouded inside its payload fairing that protects the craft during final launch preparations and the initial minutes after liftoff as it flies through the dense lower atmosphere. This step was followed by the attachment of the payload to its Block-DM upper stage and the rest of the rocket.

The Odyssey launch platform with the Zenit 3SL booster aboard departed its California port last week, followed a few days later by the Sea Launch Commander control ship. After a brief open-ocean chase, the command vessel and converted Norwegian oil platform joined up and made the rest of the journey to the equator in tandem formation.

The ships arrived at the launch site on the tropical Pacific on Friday, and Odyssey was ballasted to launch depth to ensure stability. The Sea Launch Commander also pulled alongside Odyssey to allow workers to easily transfer from one vessel to the other. A 72-hour countdown commenced early Saturday.

The Zenit 3SL rocket was rolled from its hangar and erected vertically into the launch position on Sunday.

Looking ahead to the launch day activities, fueling of the rocket with its refined kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer will take place in the hours leading up to blastoff. The vehicle's erector arm will be retracted away and stowed inside a hangar beginning about 17 minutes prior to launch.

After liftoff, the Ukrainian-built first stage's four-chamber RD-171 engine will fire for about two-and-a-half minutes before shutting down and separating. The second stage will then ignite and burn before jettisoning six minutes later. The protective payload fairing will also be let go during the second stage firing.

The Russian Block-DM upper stage will conduct a twelve-minute burn to inject the Spaceway 1 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. Spacecraft separation is slated for just over 30 minutes into the flight.

Stay with Spaceflight Now for live play-by-play updates during the final 15 minutes of the countdown and throughout launch of the Spaceway 1 communications satellite.