Mission poster. Photo: ILS

Loaded with a powerful direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellite, a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket is set to make a middle-of-the night blastoff Friday morning from Cape Canaveral.

Launch is scheduled for 1:21 a.m. EDT (0521 GMT) from pad 36B. The available window in which to get the Atlas airborne extends 119 minutes to 3:20 a.m. EDT (0720 GMT).

Air Force weather forecasters are calling for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions. Meteorologists, however, will be keeping a close eye on thick layered clouds and rainshowers. Should the launch be delayed to Saturday for some reason, the forecast indicates a 60 percent chance of good weather.

Spaceflight Now will provide extensive live coverage of the countdown and launch with running updates throughout the evening in our Mission Status Center. In addition, we will offer a live QuickTime streaming video broadcast starting at 12:30 a.m. EDT (0430 GMT).

Atop the two-and-a-half stage rocket, which is also equipped with four strap-on solid-fueled motors, is the 8,158-pound EchoStar 6 TV relay spacecraft.

EchoStar 6 will join five sister-satellites already circling the Earth, providing programming to subscribers of EchoStar's DISH Network system across the United States. The satellite network beams 500 channels of television plus music programming to consumers using a special 18-inch dish.

Built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, California, for EchoStar Communications Corporation of Littleton, Colorado, the new satellite will be lofted into an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit by the Atlas rocket. From there, the craft will repeatedly fire its onboard kick engine to achieve a circular geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator.

EchoStar plans to park the satellite at its 148 degrees West longitude orbital slot for testing. Pending FCC approval, EchoStar 6 will be relocated to the company's 119 degree position for its mission.

EchoStar 6 promises to increase the number of digital TV channels possible on the DISH Network system, expand service to Alaska and Hawaii and permit more local TV networks to be offered to consumers. Other service improvements will include high definition TV and interactive television services.

EchoStar, and rival DirecTV, won a crucial battle on Capitol Hill late last year when lawmakers granted DBS operators the clearance to relay local network TV channels to subscribers via satellite. Now satellite-system users can watch their local news and TV shows from ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX just like on cable. EchoStar presently covers 30 cities and DirecTV has deals in 27 markets.

The victory allows satellite TV to compete more directly with cable TV, as evident in the growing number of subscribers to both EchoStar and DirecTV. Currently, EchoStar serves over 4 million subscribers while DirecTV boasts 8.7 million subscribers, which includes its Primestar By DirecTV service.