Launch News Intelsat 19, Zenit-3SL, June 1, 2012

[Cosmic Penguin]

Sea Launch has finally started the year with the launch campaign of Intelsat 19, one of five Intelsat satellites to be launched this year. This satellite will bridge communications between the Pacific Ocean, from the Far East to the western coast of the United States. The trip to space is now trusted upon one of the best designed rockets ever (or at least what I thought ), the Zenit rocket. Launching into the dark skies over the central Pacific Ocean, the trip will take just less than an hour.

Launch location:

Odyssey Launch Platform, located at 0°N, 154°W

Launch dates and times:

[table="head"]{colsp=5}Launch times

Time Zone
|

Local / UTC-10 ​

|

Universal / UTC ​

|

Los Angeles / PDT ​

|

Moscow / UTC+4/ ​

Launch time (Primary): ​

|

19:23:39​

|

05:23:39​

|

22:23:39​

|

09:23:39​

on: ​

|

Jun. 1, 2012​

|

Jun. 1, 2012​

|

May. 31, 2012​

|

Jun. 1, 2012​

{colsp=5}

[highlight][eventTimer]2012-06-01 05:23:39?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Intelsat 19 Launch[/highlight]

​

[/table]

Live Coverage Of The Launch:

• Sea Launch Video Streams: http://www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html - coverage will begin at 05:05 UTC / 22:05 PDT

PAYLOAD

Intelsat 19 communication satellite:

Spacecraft Overview

Space Systems/Loral announced in June 2009 that it has been awarded a contract to provide two new satellites to Intelsat, the leading provider of Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) worldwide. The two satellites, Intelsat 19 and Intelsat 20, will be among the most powerful FSS satellites ever built with unprecedented capacity to provide services for broadband, video, and voice applications.

Intelsat 19 and Intelsat 20 will replace existing satellites that currently provide services to five continents and will offer services for broadcast television and telecommunications. The satellites also will have the capacity to support mobile communications and higher data rate network services.

Intelsat 19 is the 36th satellite that Space Systems/Loral will provide to Intelsat and it is scheduled for launch in 2011. It will replace the Intelsat 8 satellite at 166 degrees East longitude. The satellite has 34 Ku-band transponders that can be switched between four different footprints that cover Australia and the Pacific Ocean region, and 24 C-band transponders that will be connected to a high-power footprint covering Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the western United States. The satellite's C-band capacity will provide enhanced distribution of content throughout Asia-Pacific with reach to the Western United States.

Both satellites are built on the LS-1300 satellite platform, which provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications. They are designed to provide service for at least 15 years.

[table="head"]{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter|Value

Working Orbit:​

|GEO

Orbital Location:​

|166° East

Coverage:​

|Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, US west coast

ApA at separation:​

|35636 km

PeA at separation:​

|870 km

Inc at separation:​

|0°
[/table]

[table="head"]Characteristics|

Elektro-L​

Customer:​

|

• Intelsat
  

Prime contractor:​

|

• Space Systems/Loral
  

Platform:​

|

• LS-1300E

Mass at Separation:​

|

• 5600 kg

Dry Mass:​

|

• ?

Stabilization:​

|

• 3 axis stabilized

Dimensions:​

|

• 26 x 9 x 8 m

Power at end-of-life:​

|

• 15.0 kW

Primary Payload:​

|

• 34 Ku-band transponders can be switched between four different footprints that cover Australia, the North West Pacific, the North East Pacific and the South West Pacific regions.
• 24 C-band transponders will be connected to a high-power footprint that covers Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Japan and the US west coast.

Coverage area:​

|

• 
  
  

|

• 
  
  

|

• 
  
  

|

• 
  
  

|

• 
  
  

Life time:​

|

• 15+ years

|

[/table]

Launch Vehicle:

[table="head"]{colsp=2}Characteristics

|[table="head"]{colsp=2}

Zenit-3SL / Blok DM-SL​

Prime contractor:​

|

• Yuzhmash (A.M. Makarov Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant) - Ukraine
  

GRAU Index:​

|

• 11K77

Height:​

| 58.7 m with upper stage and payload fairing

Diameter:​

| max 4.1 m

Liftoff mass:​

| 473 metric tonnes

Payload mass:​

| ~6 tonnes at GTO

1st stage:​

|

• 1 X RD-171 engine
• Empty 33.9 tonnes
• Propellants 318.8 tonnes (RG-1 Kerosene and LOX)
• Thrust in vacuum 7 908 kN
• Thrust at sea level 7 259 kN

2nd stage:​

|

• 1 X RD-120 engine + 1 X RD-8 vernier engine
• Empty 9.3 tonnes
• Propellants 80.6 tonnes (RG-1 Kerosene and LOX)
• Thrust in vacuum 834 + 78 kN

Upper Stage:​

|

• GRAU Index: - 11S861
• Common Name: Block DM-SL
• Designer: Designer: RKK Energia
• Manufacturer: "Krasmash" Krasnoyarsk Machine Building Plant
• Dimensions: Length 5.5 m, Diameter 4.1 m
• Empty Mass: 2.2 tonnes
• Propellants load: 15.095 tonnes (RP-1/LOX)

• Main Engine: 1 X RD-58M
• Thrust in vacuum 8.67 tonnes of force
• ISP 352 s

Payload Fairing:​

|

• Diameter 4.1 m
• Length 10.4 m

[/table]
[/table]


The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2011.html#rate:

For Zenit-3SL,

================================================================ 
Vehicle     Successes/Tries Realzd Pred  Consc. Last     Dates    
                             Rate  Rate* Succes Fail    
================================================================
Zenit 3SL/DMSL   28    31    .90  .88      7    1/30/07  1999-

Intelsat 19 Ascent Profile

[TABLE="head"]Orbit #|Orbit Nature|Perigee h, km|Apogee H, km|Inclination
1|2nd stage separation|-2174|188|0°
2|Parking|180|1065|0°
3|GEO-transfer|866|35770|0°
4|Target GTO|870|35636|0°
[/TABLE]

Intelsat 19 Ascent Timeline

[TABLE="head"]Event|Time UTC|Comment
Lift-off|05:23:39|
1st Stage Separation|05:26:09|
2nd/upper Stage Separation|05:32:10|
1st Burn Ignition|05:32:20|
1st Burn Shutdown|05:37:26|1st Burn's Duration 00:05:06
2nd Burn Ignition|06:07:27|
2nd Burn Shutdown|06:13:57|2nd Burn's Duration 00:06:30
Spacecraft Separation|06:23:47|
[/TABLE]

Photos of preparations of the launch will come soon.

References
http://www.sea-launch.com
http://www.yuzhmash.com
http://www.yuzhnoye.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://www.ssloral.com/html/satexp/intelsat19.html
http://www.intelsat.com/network/satellite/

 

[orb]

Here's calendar event for the launch. You can request a reminder here.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Photos

 

[N_Molson]

Now those people look cool :lol:

I guess it is a very particular job to prepare a launch campaign on sea ships.

 

[Codz]

Launch coverage started.

---------- Post added at 05:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:09 AM ----------

Lift off!

---------- Post added at 05:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 AM ----------

Transonic.

---------- Post added at 05:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 AM ----------

1st stage separation.

---------- Post added at 05:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:25 AM ----------

Fairing separation.

---------- Post added at 05:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:27 AM ----------

2nd stage shutdown.

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now:

0623 GMT (2:23 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 60 minutes, 15 seconds. SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The Intelsat 19 spacecraft has been released from the Block DM-SL upper stage to complete today's Sea Launch flight to bolster communications across the Pacific Rim.
Intelsat will operate the commercial satellite in geostationary orbit at its 166-degree East longitude location to provide video broadcasting and telecommunications services across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Alaska and Hawaii.

It replaces Intelsat 8, which was launched in 1998 aboard a Russian Proton rocket under the name PAS 8 for PanAmSat and later joined Intelsat through a fleet merger.

Intelsat 19 was built by Space System/Loral using the 1300E high-powered satellite platform. The 12,300-pound craft is equipped with a communications payload consisting of 34 Ku-Band and 24 C-band transponders, a pair of power-generating solar wings spanning 85 feet and a life expectancy exceeding 15 years.

The destined orbit slot currently reaches more than 37 million television subscribers around the Pacific Rim that Intelsat 19 can serve through its video distribution capabilities.

The C-band transponders will relay 100 channels including networks like the Discovery Channel, Disney and NHK. The Ku-band capacity goes to direct-to-home TV broadcasting for Australia and New Zealand, plus blanketing the vast Pacific for maritime, aeronautical and government broadband mobility connections.

The next Sea Launch mission is planned for August when the Intelsat 21 satellite is delivered into orbit to service direct-to-home television markets in Latin America.

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: Sea Launch Zenit 3SL launches Intelsat 19

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Two launch photos:

 

[MattBaker]

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012
The brand new communications satellite hauled into space early Friday atop a Sea Launch rocket from its floating platform in the Pacific ran into a snag with one of its power-generating solar wings.

Officials announced Friday afternoon that there was a "delay" getting one of the two arrays on the Intelsat 19 spacecraft unfurled, although no further details on what was happening aboard the satellite were provided.

"Intelsat and Space Systems/Loral, the manufacturer of the satellite, are investigating the cause and are pursuing corrective actions. The spacecraft is secure at this time in geostationary transfer orbit," Intelsat said in a statement.

Seems like Intelsat 19 could fail where Dragon succeeded. It's probably impossible to carry on to GSO with only one solar array...

 

[N_Molson]

Seems like Intelsat 19 could fail where Dragon succeeded.

I don't see the point of the comparison :blink: Those are two very different kind of spacecrafts with very different purposes.

They probably will be able to achieve GSO, but the problem is about the usefulness of the satellite once there. With only half of the designed power, it can only work with a minimal efficiency. Seems quite bad, I guess the only thing they can attempt is to roll the satellite hoping that centrifugal force will help ?

 

[orb]

Space News: Probe of IS-19 Solar Array Problem Focuses on Sea Launch Rocket:

ROME — The investigation into why one of the two solar panels on Intelsat’s IS-19 telecommunications satellite failed to deploy following launch May 31 is focusing on what happened under the Sea Launch rocket’s fairing during liftoff and whether vibration there may have been the cause, industry officials said June 7.

{...}

 

[orb]

Space News: Sea Launch: Preliminary IS-19 Launch Data Exonerates Rocket:

PARIS — Commercial launch services provider Sea Launch AG on June 8 said early indications are that its rocket performed as designed May 31 when it placed Intelsat’s IS-19 telecommunications satellite into orbit, and that the satellite’s subsequent failure to deploy one of its two solar arrays was not caused by any issue with the rocket.

However, in releasing preliminary “Quick Look” telemetry data, Sea Launch said that while its rocket carried the satellite to orbit within the predefined vibration and other limits, vehicle sensors recorded “an unexpected, isolated event” 72 seconds after liftoff.

Bern, Switzerland-based Sea Launch offered no explanation for the cause of this event, saying the data show it was not a response to any malfunction of the Sea Launch rocket.

But the company said it has seen a similar event once before in its 31-launch history: in January 2004, during the launch of a Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) satellite similar to the IS-19. That satellite, dubbed Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul-1, ended up with a permanently disabled solar array.

The Sea Launch statement is consistent with June 7 statements made by SS/L President John Celli, who said the last time SS/L had a problem of this nature was in 2004, with the Sea Launch rocket. The implication: SS/L only has these problems with Sea Launch.

The Sea Launch statement offers the other side of the coin, implying that Sea Launch only has these problems with SS/L satellites.

How the Sea Launch statement will affect the decision-making process of the owners of other SS/L-built satellites awaiting launch at spaceports in South America and Kazakhstan is unknown. One insurance underwriter said it is likely that the owners of these two satellites will elect to slow their progression toward launch until more Sea Launch telemetry is made available from Boeing Commercial Space Co., which built the Sea Launch payload sensor suite.

“The preliminary data review indicates that all systems performed nominally throughout the launch profile including fairing and spacecraft separation,” the Sea Launch statement says. “The data indicates no exceedance of the environmental requirements defined in the Spacecraft Interface Control Document and the Sea Launch User’s Guide and there is no indication of any re-contact during fairing or spacecraft separation events.

“Boeing engineers did note an unexpected, isolated event around 72 seconds after launch, which registered on microphones and pressure sensors. We have only seen this one other time out of the 31 flights and while it is premature to speculate on its origin until further analysis is complete, it bears a striking resemblance to a prior Space Systems/Loral mission.”

{...}

Spaceflight Now: Inquiry into satellite glitch focuses on Sea Launch rocket

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Well the SS Loral / Sea Launch engineers are in luck: the stuck solar panel eventually was deployed on June 12!

The south solar array panel on IS-19 was deployed on 12 June 2012, following four apogee maneuver firings on 11 June 2012. Currently, we are conducting tests to establish the performance, power level, structural integrity and operability of the south array panel. The Ku-band deflector deployment is scheduled for 18 July.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Well the SS Loral / Sea Launch engineers are in luck: the stuck solar panel eventually was deployed on June 12!

Unfortunately that solar panel is still damaged: Russian sources indicate that it could only generate one-third of its rated power.

 

[orb]

Space News: Intelsat’s IS-19 Sustained Permanent Solar Array Damage:

PARIS — The Intelsat IS-19 telecommunications satellite has sustained permanent damage to its south solar array that will cut the power delivered to the satellite’s payload despite the array’s recent deployment, according to industry officials.

The array, which remained stuck in stowed position 13 days after its May 31 launch, was deployed in orbit on June 12 after the spacecraft had completed its climb from its transfer orbit to geostationary orbit, Intelsat said in a June 14 statement on the satellite’s status.

But while its deployment will make it easier for Intelsat to fly the satellite and will reduce excess fuel consumption, the damage the array sustained at some point during the launch will reduce its electrical output by a yet-undetermined percentage, officials said. One official said it looked like half the array’s power-generating capability might be intact, which would mean IS-19 has 75 percent of the total electric power it was designed to use during its 15-year life.

{...}

 

[orb]

Space News: IS-19 Investigation Now Focusing on Satellite Design:

Nov. 9, 2012

The investigation into solar-array damage on the Intelsat IS-19 telecommunications satellite has cleared the Sea Launch vehicle from responsibility and is focusing on the Space Systems/Loral-built spacecraft, industry officials said.