Sea Launch AG was in charge of the launch operations

Sep 26, 2011 07:44 GMT  ·  By
This image shows the Zenit-3SL rocket lifting off from the Odyssey Launch Platform on September 24, 2011
   This image shows the Zenit-3SL rocket lifting off from the Odyssey Launch Platform on September 24, 2011

Eutelsat Communications (ETL) applauds the successful delivery of its newest satellite, called Atlantic Bird 7, to Earth's orbit. The launch took place at 13:18 PDT (2018 UTC) on September 24, from the ocean-based Odyssey Launch Platform operated by Sea Launch AG.

The maneuver went on without a hitch, delivering the broadcast spacecraft to its designated position at the correct time. This is the first time Sea Launch AG and ETL work together for a rocket launch, and it would appear that the collaboration will not end here.

The platform's operator underwent a period of internal reorganization in late 2010, and Friday's launch also represented their return to active duty. The Odyssey LP is a self-propelled mobile spacecraft launch platform that converted from a mobile drilling rig back in 1997.

According to a recent press release, the Atlantic Bird 7 was launched aboard a Zenit-3SL delivery system. At launch time, the platform was located in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean, at 154 degrees West longitude, SpaceRef reports.

The Zenit-3SL rocket features a Block DM-SL upper stage, which proved extremely efficient at inserting its 4,600-kilogram (10,141-pound) payload into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). Eventually, the spacecraft made its way to its final orbit, at 7 degrees West longitude.

ETL officials say that their newest broadcast satellite was build by the EADS company Astrium. The first signals it relayed to Earth from its new orbital perch were collected by receivers at the Hartebeesthoek ground station, near Pretoria, South Africa.

“We offer our sincere congratulations to Eutelsat, and to Astrium for this outstanding success. We're very proud to play a role in Eutelsat's continued and expanding success,” Sea Launch AG President Kjell Karlsen explains.

“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,” he goes on to say.

“The powerful [Atlantic Bird] 7 satellite will further consolidate Eutelsat's resources for vibrant digital broadcasting markets across the Middle East and North Africa,” adds ETL CEO Michel de Rosen.

“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,” he concludes.