* Astronomy

Sea Launch AG will launch the Intelsat 18 (IS-18) communications satellite in the second half of 2011 under a contract with Intelsat, the worlds leading provider of fixed satellite services.
Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, IS-18 is one of ten STAR GEO communications satellites ordered by Intelsat and will carry a C-band and a Ku-band payload and will be located in an orbital slot at 180 degrees East Longitude. IS-18 will have a launch mass of 3,200 kg (7,055 lb.) and is designed for 15 years of service. IS-18s C-band payload will serve Eastern Asia, the Pacific and the Western United States and its Ku-band payload will serve French Polynesia, Eastern Australia and the United States.
The satellite will be lofted to an optimised geosynchronous transfer orbit using the reliable Zenit-3SLB vehicle launching from Site 45 at the Zenit Launch Complex located within the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
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