* Astronomy

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RE: Thuraya 3 Satellite

Blobrana · L

Sea Launch has resumed its countdown for the launch of the Thuraya-3 mobile communications satellite, with liftoff now planned for Sunday, Nov. 18, at 15:37 GMT (7:37 am PST ).
The Sea Launch Commander is positioned alongside the Odyssey Launch Platform, at the launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, on the equator. A day before liftoff, the launch team will erect the Zenit-3SL rocket on the launch pad and perform final tests on the launch system and the spacecraft before starting the terminal countdown.
During final preparations for liftoff, the platform will be evacuated, with all personnel safely positioned on the ship, four miles from the platform. At launch, the rocket will lift the 5,173 kg (11,381 lb) spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital location of 98.5 degrees East Longitude.
Boeing built the GEO-Mobile (GEM) spacecraft in El Segundo, California, for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, based in the United Arab Emirates, to provide a range of mobile voice and data services over large geographic regions. Thuraya, the world's largest provider of handheld mobile satellite services, is preparing to operate commercially in Asia-Pacific markets as early as January 2008, when Thuraya-3 is expected to become operational.
The Sea Launch team arrived at the launch site on Nov. 10 and initiated a 72-hour countdown for a Nov. 14 launch. However, high winds and unusual strong ocean currents necessitated a hold in the countdown, delaying the launch until conditions met all launch commit criteria.

Sea Launch will provide live coverage of the Thuraya-3 mission via satellite and on its website, beginning at 7:25 am PST (15:25 GMT) on Nov. 18. Transponder coordinates for downlinking the satellite feed will be posted at: www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html.

A simultaneous webcast may be accessed at: www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html.

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The Odyssey Launch Platform and the Sea Launch Commander have departed Sea Launch Home Port, for the launch of the Thuraya-3 satellite. Liftoff is scheduled for November 13, in a 44-minute launch window that will open at 7:57 am Pacific Standard Time (15:57:00 GMT).

The vessels are sailing to the equatorial launch site at 154° West Longitude, in preparation for Sea Launchs 25th mission. When the vessels arrive, the team will ballast the platform to launch depth and perform a final series of tests on the launch system and the spacecraft. A 72-hour countdown will culminate in the launch of the 5,180 kg (11,420 lb) Thuraya-3 satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital location of 98.5 degrees East Longitude.
Boeing designed and built the GEO-Mobile (GEM) spacecraft in El Segundo, Calif., for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, based in the United Arab Emirates. Boeing also built, and Sea Launch successfully deployed into orbit, Thuraya-1 (October 20, 2000) and Thuraya-2 (June 10, 2003). The satellites are designed to provide a range of mobile voice and data services over large geographic regions.
Thuraya, the world's largest provider of handheld mobile satellite services, is preparing to operate commercially in Asia-Pacific markets as early as January 2008, when Thuraya-3 is expected to become operational. Thuraya's expansion towards East Asia will allow it to provide its proven and highly affordable voice, IP and rural telephony services to thousands of private, public and business customers in the densely populated Asian region.
Sea Launch will provide live coverage of the Thuraya-3 mission via satellite and on its website, beginning at 7:40am PST (15:40:00 GMT) on Nov. 13.

Source Sealaunch

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) satellite telecom company, Thuraya, plans to expand its capacity and coverage to countries in the Asia Pacific region, including China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia.
The Thuraya-3 satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit on Oct. 28 from the SeaLaunch Odyssey platform, that will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Position: Latitude: 0° N, longitude: 154°W

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Rocket segments for the Zenit-3SL system arrived last week at Home Port, as Sea Launch transitions to mission operations. The hardware will support the launch of the Thuraya 3 satellite in October, as well as additional upcoming missions into 2008.
The segments for the Zenit-3SL system began their journey in Dnepropetrovsk and Moscow and were transported by rail to the Port of Oktyabrsk, Ukraine, on the Black Sea. Thirty-five days later, the shipment arrived in Long Beach, California, on the Condock, a roll-on/roll-off vessel based in Germany.
The crew of the Condock unloaded its cargo for storage in an on-site warehouse at Home Port. The Sea Launch team will draw from this inventory to assemble the 3-stage vehicle for future missions. The Zenit-3SL includes the Zenit-2S booster and a Block DM-SL upper stage.
This is the first in a series of planned shipments resulting from long-term Sea Launch contracting initiatives with Sea Launch partners for the production of rocket segment hardware to meet current and future launch opportunities.

Source Sea Launch

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Sea Launch is to resume Zenit launches in October.

"We are hoping to conduct the first launch of a Zenit-3SL with a Thuraya-3 telecommunications satellite on board in October of this year" - Paula Korn, Sea Launch spokesperson.

See NSS-8 Satellite launch Failure

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Thuraya, the satellite-based mobile telephone company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is set to send its third satellite into orbit on October 15 and will launch this year a maritime communications technology solution, including a handset, and a high-capacity data terminal for computers.
Sultan Al Ghafli, the company's chief commercial officer, said the satellite, built by Boeing Satellite Systems and is now packed and in storage, costs between Dh551 million to Dh734.62 million ($150-$200 million). He said it would be launched from Earth's equator in the Pacific Ocean, the nearest landmass to which is the Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
He said, meanwhile, that Thuraya would sign service provider (SP) agreements with a telecom company in Australia this month to provide ground services to mobile phone subscribers via the third Thuraya satellite, which weighs over five metric tonnes and will be fully operational after two months of testing.

Read more

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The UAE's Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company is taking delivery of its third satellite next month and will launch it in January 2007.
The Sea Launch Company which luaunched two previous Thuraya satellites has been selected to put into orbit Thuraya 3.

"Thuraya's third satellite has been completed by Boeing Satellite Systems. The tests have been completed last week and it is now awaiting the launch. We have signed an agreement with Sea Launch Company to launch Thuraya 3" - Yousuf Al Sayed, Chief Executive of the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company.

The exact cost of the third satellite was not disclosed but it is estimated to be close to the cost of the earlier two satellites of US$200 million and US$150 million respectively. Sea Launch successfully orbited Thuraya-2 on June 10, 2003.

"Essentially, Thuraya 3 will replace Thuraya 1 that is currently covering south-east Asia including Korea and Indonesia. Thuraya 2 will continue to serve the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, India and some Asian markets. Overall, once Thuraya 3 is in orbit and along with Thuraya 2, our coverage will be from the tip of Iceland to Japan. Our roll out is region by region and right now the US is not on our radar screen because there are already three to four domestic systems there similar to Thuraya. But we plan to cover South America at a later stage" - Yousuf Al Sayed.

Talks with Boeing for fourth satellite and plans for a secondary gateway in Dubai. Thuraya is in discussions with Boeing Satellite Systems for a fourth satellite and plans to build a secondary gateway in Dubai, a top official said yesterday.

Source Gulf News.