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Sea Launch awarded assignment for Thuraya-3 SEA LAUNCH NEWS RELEASE Posted: June 12, 2006
"Sea Launch successfully launched Thuraya-1 (Oct. 2000) and Thuraya-2 (June 2003)," said Rob Peckham, president and general manager of Sea Launch. "We are ideally suited to launch this heavy spacecraft and we are delighted to welcome back BSSI and Thuraya for the Thuraya-3 mission. This contract demonstrates Thuraya's confidence in our reliable system and dedicated team." Boeing is designing and building the GEO-Mobile (GEM) spacecraft at its Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, Calif., for the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, to expand capacity in the Thuraya system. The design integrates a high-power satellite with a ground segment and user handsets, to provide a range of cellular-like voice and data services regionally. The Thuraya ground segment includes terrestrial gateways plus a collocated network operations center and satellite control facility in the United Arab Emirates. Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is a leading regional mobile satellite system that provides satellite-based telephone services to a region covering more than 100 countries in Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East and Asia, populated by an estimated 2.3 billion people. Thuraya's dynamic mobile phones combine satellite, GSM and GPS and provide services that include voice, data, fax and short messaging. Boeing's Satellite Development Center (SDC) is the leading manufacturer of government and commercial communications satellites. Encompassing approximately one million square feet, the state-of-the-art facility is the largest dedicated satellite factory in the world. In addition to the Thuraya-3 spacecraft, the SDC also built the Thuraya-1 and Thuraya-2 spacecraft. Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is the world's most reliable heavy-lift commercial launch service. This international partnership offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the robust Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit, offering best value plus schedule assurance. Sea Launch is building a legacy, with one successful launch, one satisfied customer, at a time. |
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A comprehensive series of press briefings for space shuttle Discovery's upcoming STS-121 begins with a program overview conference by Wayne Hale, NASA's manager of the shuttle program, and Kirk Shireman, the deputy program manager of the International Space Station. The two men discuss the significance of Discovery's mission to their respective programs. The briefing was held June 8 at the Johnson Space Center.
Dial-up: 
NASA officials unveil the plan to distribute work in the Constellation Program for robotic and human moon and Mars exploration. This address to agency employees on June 5 was given by Administrator Mike Griffin, Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Scott Horowitz and Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley.
Following their announcement on the Exploration work assignments to the various NASA centers, Mike Griffin, Scott Horowitz and Jeff Hanley hold this news conference to answer reporter questions.
Space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale and launch director Mike Leinbach hold this news conference May 31 from Kennedy Space Center to offer a status report on STS-121 mission preparations. The briefing was held at the conclusion of the debris verification review, which examined the external fuel tank and threats to the shuttle from impacts during launch.
The Boeing Delta 4 rocket launches from pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the GOES-N spacecraft, beginning a new era in weather observing for the Americas.