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In October, 2003 the Sea Launch Company together with the
Loral Company (manufacture of spacecraft Telstar 14/Estrela
do Sul 1, Telstar-18 and DirecTV 7S) has worked out a strategy
of further activities and defined the sequence and dates
of next launches.
The first phase of the target plan was fulfilled and ended
with a successful launch of the Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul
1 SC on January 11, 2004 .
CHRONOLOGY OF ACTIVITIES
| April
8-9, 2004 |
Assembly and testing of Zenit-2S launch vehicle #14L
and Block DM-SL Upper Stage #16L.
|
| April
9, 2004 |
Delivery of the Payload Unit (PLU) with DirecTV 7S to
the Assembly-Command Ship (ACS). |
| April
10-12, 2004 |
PLU mating with US.
|
| April
12, 2004 |
Check of the completely assembled Integrated Launch
Vehicle (ILV).
|
| April
14, 2004 |
Readiness Review for ILV transfer from ACS to the
Launch Platform (LP).
|
| April
15, 2004 |
Transfer
of Zenit-7S ILV # SL14 from ACS to LP. ILV installation
in the LP hanger onto the erector. |
| Final
readiness review for the DirecTV 7S mission and signing
of the decision on the readiness of all Sea Launch RSC
segments and services for mission implementation by
Sea Launch Company. |
| April
16-17, 2004 |
Execution
of operations under the ILV Dry Roll-Out program. |
| April
18, 2004 |
LP
departure from Home Port for the launch site. |
| April
21, 2004 |
ACS
departure from Home Port for the launch site. |
| April
18-29, 2004 |
ACS
and LP transit to the launch site. Conduct of integrated
rehearsals of the pre-launch processing with support
of MCC in Korolev. In the course of rehearsals - simulation
of off-nominal situations, try-out of the procedure
for introducing a delay of the pre-launch processing,
as well as of nominal execution of the pre-launch processing,
ILV launch, and flight reporting training. |
| April
29, 2004 |
ACS
and LP arrival at the launch site. Launch Platform ballast
trimming. |
| April
30, 2004 |
LP/ACS
equipment preparation for the ILV launch. |
| May
1, 2004 |
First launch day activities: making Rocket
Segment systems ready for activities on the launch
site, ILV processing, activities at the Launch Measurement
Complex. Sea Launch RSC readiness review for activities
on the launch site and launch of the Zenit-3SL ILV
# SL14 with the DirecTV-7S SC.
|
| May
2, 2004 |
Second launch day activities: ILV preparation
for roll-out to the launch pad, LP orientation to
the launch position, ACS transfer to a nominal position
w.r.t. LP, ILV roll-out and erection onto the launch
pad, PLU stand-alone checks, ILV electrical checks,
execution of the critical launch readiness checklist.
|
| May
3-4, 2004 |
Third launch day activities (Daylight Saving
Pacific Time ):
- 20:55 transportation of the launch personnel via
helicopter to LP to perform pre-launch activities;
- 23:42:00 "6 h to LOC" command implementation;
- 00:42:00 "Program Start" command implementation,
start of nominal launch readiness checklist and
ILV fueling;
- 04:40 evacuation of the last group of the Rocket
and Sea Segment personnel via helicopter from LP;
- 05:41:59. 117 "Lift-Off Contact" signal
passage.
|
| May
4, 2004 |
At 12 h 41 min 59.177 s Greenwich Time (16 h 41 min
59.177 s Moscow Time) the thirteenth launch from the
Odyssey Launch Platform under the Sea Launch program
is complete.The DirecTV 7S SC insertion into the target
geosynchronous transfer orbit from the parking orbit
formed by the two-stage Zenit-2S LV was performed
by DM-SL US. The Upper Stage whose main engine was
fired 10 s after separation of the Block together
with SC from the second stage of LV, having run about
11 min., made the spacecraft reach the calculated
target orbit to a high accuracy.15 minutes after SC
separation the signal receipt from SC and its nominal
position are confirmed.Conduct of a maneuver of placing
US into a disposal orbit and its safing.
|
| Post-launch
operations on LP and ACS. |
| May 5, 2004 |
Start of
ACS and LP transit to Home Port |
LAUNCH RESULTS
The DirecTV-7S spacecraft is placed into the calculated
geosynchronous transfer orbit.
Perigee altitude,
km |
Apogee altitude,
km
|
Inclination,
deg.
|
|
200
|
35786
|
0.0
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