Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
The second launch of the year for the Zenit rocket features the fourth Intelsat communication satellite to be launched this year, Intelsat 21. This satellite will be stationed at geostationary orbit, providing communication across the Atlantic bridge through North and South America, as well as Europe and west Africa.
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):
|20:55
|06:55
|23:55
|10:55
on:
|Aug. 19, 2012
|Aug. 19, 2012
|Aug. 18, 2012
|Aug. 19, 2012
{colsp=5}
[highlight][eventTimer]2012-08-19 06:55:00?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Intelsat 21 Launch[/highlight]
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Live Coverage Of The Launch:
- Sea Launch Video Streams: http://www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html - coverage will begin at 06:40 UTC / 23:40 PDT
PAYLOAD
Intelsat 21 communication satellite:
Spacecraft Overview
Intelsat Ltd. announced in July 2009 that it had ordered the Intelsat 21 (IS 21) communications satellite from Boeing Satellite Systems. It is scheduled for launch in 2012, and will replace the Intelsat 9 satellite at 58º West Longitude.
The Intelsat 21 satellite is based on the BSSI 702MP mid-level power platform.
Designed to provide 15 or more years of satellite service, the Intelsat 21 spacecraft will carry 24 C-band transponders for coverage over the western hemisphere and 36 Ku-band transponders with Brazil and mobility beams.
The Intelsat satellites incorporate low-risk, proven technologies based on the Boeing 702HP satellite. The payload is powered by two solar wings, each with three to four panels of ultra triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells.
Intelsat's new satellites will utilize Boeing Lean manufacturing, which streamlines manufacturing and test through reduced assembly steps, more efficient operational layout and an enhanced supplier management philosophy based on a product line rather than program approach. Because of the modular design, common manufacturing processes such as pulse line and manufacturing line production can be leveraged to accelerate the manufacturing cycle, leading to a faster delivery for the customer.
[table="head"]{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter|Value
Working Orbit:
|GEOOrbital Location:
|58° WestCoverage:
|North America, South America, Europe, west Africa, Atlantic OceanApA at separation:
|35786 kmPeA at separation:
|280 kmInc at separation:
|0°[/table]
[table="head"]Characteristics|
Intelsat 21
Customer:
|- Intelsat
Prime contractor:
|- Boeing
Platform:
|- BSS-702MP
Mass at Separation:
|- 5984 kg
Dry Mass:
|- ?
Stabilization:
|- 3 axis stabilized
Dimensions:
|- 36.85 x 9.25 x 6.9 m
Power at end-of-life:
|- 11.8 kW
Primary Payload:
|- 36 Ku-band transponders
- 24 C-band transponders
Coverage area:
|
|
|
Life time:
|- 15+ years
|
Launch Vehicle:
[table="head"]{colsp=2}Characteristics
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 mLiftoff mass:
| 473 metric tonnes Payload mass:
| ~6 tonnes at GTO1st 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/log2012.html#rate:
For Zenit-3SL,
Code:
================================================================
Vehicle Successes/Tries Realzd Pred Consc. Last Dates
Rate Rate* Succes Fail
================================================================
Zenit 3SL/DMSL 29 32 .91 .88 8 1/30/07 1999-Intelsat 21 Ascent Profile
[TABLE="head"]Orbit #|Orbit Nature|Perigee h, km|Apogee H, km|Inclination
1|2nd stage separation|-2314|213|0°
2|GEO-transfer|276|35958|0°
3|Target GTO|280|35786|0°
[/TABLE]
Intelsat 21 Ascent Timeline
[TABLE="head"]Event|Time UTC|Comment
Lift-off|06:55:00|
1st Stage Separation|06:57:30|
Payload fairing Separation|06:58:44|
2nd/upper Stage Separation|07:03:31|
1st Burn Ignition|07:03:41|
1st Burn Shutdown|07:15:17|1st Burn's Duration 00:11:36
Spacecraft Separation|07:25:07|
[/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://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/intelsat-21.htm
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://www.intelsat.com/_files/resources/satellites/IS-21-factsheet.pdf
http://www.intelsat.com/network/satellite/
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/factsheets/702/intelsat/intelsat.html
