Intelsat 15 atop Zenit-3SLБ/DM-SLБ on Nov 30/Dec 1, 2009

[SiberianTiger]

Launch site:
Baikonur, Launch pad no. 45/2 (45°56'24.33"N, 63°39'19.32"E)
Launch date:December 1, 2009

The launch time is:
3 : 00 : 00 Baikonur 01.12.2009
0 : 00 : 00 Moscow Local 01.12.2009
21 : 00 : 00 UTC Nov 30, 2009
4 : 00 : 00 p.m. EST Nov 30, 2009


[eventTimer]2009-11-30 21:00:00?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Intelsat 15 launch

Payload: Intelsat 15 communications satellite

Spacecraft: Intelsat 15

Manufacturer: Orbital Sciences Corporation

Mission Description

The Intelsat 15 (IS-15) satellite being manufactured for Intelsat will replace Intelsat 709 currently positioned at 85 degrees East Longitude. The high power Ku-band payload will provide video and data services for the Middle East, Indian Ocean Regions and Russia. Based on Orbital's START spacecraft bus, IS-15 will produce 4.6 kW of payload power and feature two 2.3 meter dual-grid deployable reflectors as well as one 1.4 meter deck-mounted antenna.

Performances

Spacecraft

Parameter|Value
Launch Mass|2,550 kg (5,622 lb.)
Solar Arrays|Four panels per array, UTJ Gallium Arsenide cells
Stabilization|3-axis stabilized; zero momentum system
Propulsion|Liquid bi-propellant transfer orbit system; Monopropellant (hydrazine) on-orbit system
Batteries|Two >4840 W-Hr capacity Li-Ion batteries
Mission Life|15 years (fueled for 16 years)
Orbit|85 degrees East Longitude

Payload

Parameter|Value
Frequency|Ku-band
Repeater|22 active transponders with 30-for-22 redundant TWTA's
Antenna|Two 2.3 m deployable dual-grid reflectors; one 1.4 m deck-mounted antenna

Coverage Contour Maps

Middle East EIRP

Russia Beam

Russia and adjacent countries coverage, detailed

Launcher: Zenit-3SLБ with DM-SLБ upper stage
Manufacturers: Yuzhmash (A.M. Makarov Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant) - Ukraine, RKK Energia - Russia.

In place of the Boeing-made fairing used on Sea Launch, the Zenit-3SLB adopts a 4-meter fairing made by NPO Lavochkin. It is in current production and has been flight-proven with the Block DM.

The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/reliability2009.txt:

================================================================ 
Vehicle     Successes/Tries Realzd Pred  Consc. Last     Dates    
                             Rate  Rate* Succes Fail    
================================================================
Zenit 3SLB/DMSLB  2     3    .67  .60      2(B) 4/28/08  2008-

Mission Profile

From our launch site at the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, a Zenit-3SLB launch vehicle will lift the 2,484 kg (5,477 lbs) Intelsat 15 communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 85 degrees East Longitude. The first stage will operate for two-and-a-half minutes and then separate, followed by the jettison of the payload fairing three minutes later. After a six-minute burn, the second stage will separate from the Block DM-SLB upper stage. The Block DM will then begin the first of three burns, taking the spacecraft to a stable parking orbit. After a brief second burn, the upper stage will coast with the spacecraft for five hours, after which a third burn will inject the spacecraft into a geosynchronous transit orbit. Eleven minutes later, the spacecraft will separate from the upper stage. Following spacecraft separation, ground stations in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, and Perth, Australia, will be tracking the satellite to acquire its first signals from orbit.

Launch Timeline

Time|Event
L= 0 : 00 : 00|Liftoff
L + 0 : 02 : 29|Stage 1 Separation
L + 0 : 05 : 16|Payload Fairing Jettison
L + 0 : 08 : 31|Stage 2 Separation
L + 0 : 08 : 41|Block DM 1st Burn Ignition
L + 1 : 20 : 14|Block DM 2nd Burn Ignition
L + 6 : 14 : 03|Block DM 3rd Burn Ignition
L + 6 : 26 : 42|Spacecraft Separation
L + 6 : 30 : 00|Spacecraft Acquisition (estimated time)

Zenit-3SLB's parts drop zones

References
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.sea-launch.com
http://www.orbital.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.orion-express.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://weatherbug.com
http://www.good-stuff.co.uk/suntimes/sunmap.php

 

[jinglesassy]

looking good

 

[SiberianTiger]

Launch preparations history in pictures

27-10-2009 Delivery of Intelsat 15 to Baikonur

28-10-2009 Intelsat 15 installation at workplace

23-11-2009 LV assembly

Launch preparations history in videos

Assembly building activities

Final mating

Animation of a Zenit-3SLБ's launch

Watching the launch live

• TSENKI Video Streams: http://www.tv-tsenki.com/livechoose.php
• Vesti (few minutes report just before and during the launch): http://www.vesti.ru/video1.asx?vid=onair
• Vesti low-res: http://www.vesti.ru/video1.asx?vid=onair_low

---------- Post added at 22:34 ---------- Previous post was at 18:28 ----------

TSENKI streams are on air.

---------- Post added at 22:36 ---------- Previous post was at 22:34 ----------

L - 3 hours and counting… Liquid Oxygen is loaded onto the Block DM-3SLB upper stage. All systems are nominal. Weather is within launch parameters.

---------- Post added at 22:42 ---------- Previous post was at 22:36 ----------

---------- Post added at 23:07 ---------- Previous post was at 22:42 ----------

L - 1 hour and counting. Operations for launch continue on schedule with no issues reported. The launch weather office is reporting no violations of any weather related launch commit criteria for the remainder of the launch countdown. Processing continues on the Intelsat 15 satellite and the launch vehicle propellant loading has begun.

---------- Post added at 23:23 ---------- Previous post was at 23:07 ----------

Heavy oxygen fuming from both stages

---------- Post added at 23:36 ---------- Previous post was at 23:23 ----------

L - 00:35:00 - Telemetry check for final configuration and battery charge status completed. Spacecraft and launch vehicle status is nominal. Launch weather office is reporting no violations of any weather related launch commit criteria for the remainder of the launch countdown.

---------- Post added at 23:44 ---------- Previous post was at 23:36 ----------

15 minutes standby command

---------- Post added at 23:49 ---------- Previous post was at 23:44 ----------

Erector/supporter rolling away begins

---------- Post added at 23:51 ---------- Previous post was at 23:49 ----------

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L - 00:10:00 - The Transporter/Erector is moving away from the rocket. All systems continue to be nominal for launch.

---------- Post added at 23:56 ---------- Previous post was at 23:55 ----------

Fueling ends. The railway engine is about to begin towing the transporter away.

---------- Post added 01-12-09 at 00:00 ---------- Previous post was 30-11-09 at 23:56 ----------

Lift-off!

---------- Post added at 00:02 ---------- Previous post was at 00:00 ----------

---------- Post added at 00:03 ---------- Previous post was at 00:02 ----------

Stage 1/2 sep ok

 

[TSPenguin]

Flight nominal so far. Lift-Off looked great.

Thank you for creating and maintaining these threads in an excellent way!

 

[jinglesassy]

now if only they were speaking english

 

[TSPenguin]

now if only they were speaking english

But they do...

 

[SiberianTiger]

Fairing jettison confirmed

 

[jinglesassy]

well for some reason mine sounded like russian

 

[SiberianTiger]

We have MECO and the upper composite's separation.

---------- Post added at 00:08 ---------- Previous post was at 00:08 ----------

Block DM's burn is under way.

---------- Post added at 00:09 ---------- Previous post was at 00:08 ----------

well for some reason mine sounded like russian

By this link there was a bilingual narration: http://www.tv-tsenki.com/live3.php

---------- Post added at 00:11 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

Block DM engine's shutdown. Waiting for parking orbit achieving confirmation.

---------- Post added at 00:22 ---------- Previous post was at 00:11 ----------

Thank you for creating and maintaining these threads in an excellent way!

I'm happy that you like them!

---------- Post added at 00:28 ---------- Previous post was at 00:22 ----------


[eventTimer]2009-12-01 3:26:42?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Intelsat 15 separation (planned)

---------- Post added at 02:04 ---------- Previous post was at 00:28 ----------

Block DM 2nd burn was started and completed successfully. Block DM and satellite will now coast for about 4.5 hours until the 3rd burn begins.

---------- Post added at 09:02 ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 ----------

Block DM 3rd Burn Ignition is confirmed. Block DM Main Engine Cutoff #3 is confirmed. Flight is nominal.



Spacecraft Separation is confirmed at 03:28 GMT, Dec. 1.


Spacecraft Acquisition is confirmed! Mission Success!

---------- Post added at 09:03 ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 ----------

Some intermediate NORAD data:

Name OBJECT A
NORAD # 36107
COSPAR designator 2009-067-A
Epoch (UTC) 2009-11-30 22:21:13
Orbit # at Epoch 0
Inclination 48.932
Eccentricity 0.7307561
Period 10h 33m 25s (633.42 min)
Perigee x Apogee 200 x 35 908 km

---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 ----------

Launch pictures:

The rest are at http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=8406

---------- Post added at 11:55 ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 ----------

The latest NORAD object's 36107 picking up:

Paremeter|Value
Inclination|12.037°
Eccentricity|0.4341776
Period|13h 55m 46s (835.77 min)
Perigee x Apogee|10 252 x 35 774 km

---------- Post added at 13:27 ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 ----------

The official launch video released:

Notice a strange pitching of the vehicle at video time interval 0:50-0:58.