Sea Launch Project
High Spots
Spaceway-1 Launch
Spacecraft (SC) Spaceway-1 belonging to DirecTV Inc., is intended for providing telecommunications services.
It was built by Boeing Satellite Systems based on BSS-702 bus and its mass is 6080 kg. Its assigned geostationary
orbital slot is 102.8 deg.E.
SC Spaceway-1 was launched using Zenit-2S No.SL18 and upper stage DM-SL No.19L
CHRONOLOGY OF ACTIVITIES
March 9 - April 14, 2005 |
Home Port activities:
- preparations of Rocket Segment
systems and equipment for operations at the Home
Port and at the launch site;
- preparations of upper
stage DM-SL No.19 and its fuelling;
- preparations
of LV Zenit-2S No.SL18;
- Integration and testing
of ILV consisting of LV Zenit-2S No.SL18, upper
stage DM-SL No.19L, and PLU with SC Spaceway-1;
- Rocket Segment test including a "dry" rollout
of ILV at the HP.
|
April 14-22, 2005 |
ACS and LP sea transit to the launch site. Activities during sea transit:
- monitoring parameters of LP and ACS systems and equipment;
- monitoring the health of LV No.SL19 on-board ACS;
- monitoring the health of ILV Zenit-3SL in the LP hangar;
- monitoring parameters of upper stage No.19L within ILV Zenit-3SL No.SL18;
- test session of commanding Progress-M logistic spacecraft using the Upper Stage Automated Flight Control System
assets and crew.
|
April 22-23, 2005 |
Launch site activities:
- pre-launch maintenance of the LP complex of automated control system;
- getting the Rocket Segment systems ready for operations at the launch site;
- ILV pre-launch processing;
- upper stage pre-launch processing (within ILV);
- work on the suite of equipment for data acquisition, recording and display on the LP
|
April 24, 2005 |
- ILV rollout from the LP hangar and its erection on the launch pad;
- going through ILV electrical check-out and Critical Launch Readiness Checklist, analysis of the results.
|
April 25-26, 2005 |
- Checking and readying the Rocket Segment systems for ILV pre-launch processing and launch
- ILV pre-launch processing
- holding communications sessions with the upper stage
- resetting processing equipment and systems on the LP to their initial state.
|
April 26, 2005 |
At 11 hours 31 min. 25 sec. Moscow Time (April 26, 2005 at 00 hours 31 min. 25 sec Pacific Time) the
16th launch from the launch platform Odyssey was accomplished. Spacecraft Spaceway-1 was put into
its target orbit with high accuracyFor the first time in a commercial launch, a capability was demonstrated
to put more than 6 ton SC into a geotransfer orbit owing to special engineering measures implemented
by RSC Energia to further improve the unique performance of the upper stage.
|
Post-launch operations, the start of the sea transit to the Home Port. |
LAUNCH RESULTS
Spaceway-1 has been put into its target orbit:
Parameter |
Design value |
Actual value* |
Difference between actual and design values |
Allowable orbital insertion error (2,33 G) |
Perigee altitude, km |
250 |
249,99 |
-0,01 |
+10 |
Apogee altitude, km |
34128 |
34132,4 |
+4,4 |
+80/-1000 |
Orbital inclination, deg |
0,0 |
0,0 |
0,0 |
+0,2 |
Note:
* - spacecraft insertion orbit parameters recalculated for the time of the first apogee passage based on the upper
stage telemetry data.