Sea-based satellite launch set for Tuesday

File image of a Sea Launch test

By Richard Stenger
CNN

A modified oil platform and command ship have arrived at the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean to prepare for Tuesday's scheduled launch of a sophisticated communications satellite.

The platform, known as Odyssey, was settling into launch depth over the weekend, giving it enough stability to withstand the powerful exit of a Ukrainian rocket that is to carry a digital audio broadcasting satellite into orbit.

The command vessel, currently connected to Odyssey by a linking bridge, will steam to a position 3.5 miles from the mammoth launch scaffold before liftoff, scheduled to take place between 6 and 7 p.m. EDT.

The sister ships set sail from Los Angeles two weeks ago, heading south along with their precious payload, a five-ton orbiter dubbed "Roll." After launch, the spacecraft is to join another Boeing-made satellite in orbit named "Rock."

In January, mission managers aborted the launch of Roll with less than a minute remaining in the countdown due to a technical glitch. They decided to move forward as planned with the launch of Rock in March and then try again with Roll this month.

The sibling satellites will be positioned in geostationary orbit to make up XM Satellite Radio, an orbiting network that will offer news and entertainment channels to U.S. subscribers. The programming, which includes some CNN channels, should become available later this summer.

Rockets lifting off from the equator can take full advantage of the Earth's spin, allowing them to carry heavier payloads than those taking off from other latitudes.

Sea Launch, a Los Angeles, California-based multinational consortium of aerospace giants, first launched a satellite from the sea in 1999. In 2000, the company had one failed launch in March but conducted two successful launches later in the year.

SeaLaunch will provide a live Web cast of the launch from its Internet site, www.sea-launch.com, beginning at 5:50 p.m. EDT.

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Sea Launch
Boeing and Sea Launch
XM Satellite Radio

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