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Russian Rocket Lifts U.S. TV Satellite Into Orbit From Floating Platform
A Russian rocket blasted off from a floating Pacific Ocean platform Tuesday, carrying a DirecTV satellite into orbit, Sea Launch Co. said. A Zenit-3SL rocket carrying the Spaceway F1 communications satellite, manufactured by Boeing Co., blasted into space at 11:31 a.m. Moscow time (3:31 a.m. EDT). The satellite entered its designated orbit 30 minutes later, the company said. Sea Launch said the satellite weighed 13,376 pounds, making it the heaviest commercial satellite it had launched. Sea Launch is a multinational venture owned by Boeing Co., RSC-Energia of Russia, Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner Group of Norway and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Ukraine. DirecTV is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. This is the wave of the future in commercial space tech. Floating platforms close to the equator make launches much easier. Less-polluting fuels get them up there cleaner. And a high volume makes them much more cost-effective. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-04-26 |
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