* Astronomy

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The Sea Launch team has begun the countdown in preparation for the launch of the EchoStar X broadcast satellite on Wednesday, February 8, at the opening of a 49-minute launch window, at 23:35 GMT (3:35 pm Pacific Time).

With launch site operations now underway at 154 degrees West Longitude on the Equator, the Odyssey Launch Platform is ballasted to its launch depth and stationed alongside the Sea Launch Commander (Assembly and Command Ship), periodically connected by a link-bridge that enables foot traffic between the two vessels.

A Zenit-3SL rocket will be rolled out of its environmentally protected hangar and automatically erected on the launch pad a day before the launch. The platform will be evacuated, with all personnel safely stationed on the ship, three miles uprange from the platform, for the remainder of launch operations. On launch day, the rocket will lift the 4,333 kg EchoStar X satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on the way to its final orbital position of 110 degrees West Longitude.

This is Sea Launch's second mission for EchoStar and its first mission with a Lockheed Martin spacecraft.
The 4333 kg EchoStar X spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, is a high-power KU Band A2100-AX satellite with a service life of 15 years on orbit. Optimised for direct broadcast applications, EchoStar X is a new-generation satellite that will enable DISH Network to deliver expanded services for distribution of direct-to-home broadcast services to its U.S. customers.

-- Edited by Blobrana at 22:48, 2006-02-06