* Astronomy

Sea Launch is now preparing for the launch of the EchoStar X satellite in February. On this mission, Sea Launch will lift the 4333 kg communications satellite to a high perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit in February.
EchoStar X will join EchoStar's current fleet of nine satellites that provide DISH Network customers with hundreds of all-digital television channels, including interactive TV services, sports programming, high definition television and international programming.



The sea platform Odyssey has left the Long Beach port, California, and is heading to an equatorial launch site.
On Friday, an assembly and command ship set course to the launch site.
The Odyssey carries the Russian-Ukrainian rocket Zenit- 3SL with the US’ communications satellite EcoStar-10 attached to it.

From its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, a Zenit-3SL launch vehicle will lift the EchoStar X spacecraft to a high perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit for its ultimate orbital location at 110 degrees West Longitude in February.

Lifting off from the Odyssey Launch Platform, the Zenit-3SL rocket will begin its ascent phase of flight. The first stage of the vehicle will separate two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, and then the protective payload fairing will be jettisoned a minute later. Following a six-minute burn, the second stage will separate from the Block DM upper stage. The Block DM will then execute a five-minute burn and then shutdown for a 33-minute coast period. The Block DM will ignite a second time for a five-and-a-half minute burn. After another coast lasting nearly 10 minutes, the Block DM will separate from the spacecraft, above the East Coast of Africa.

The craft is to stay in orbit for 15 years.
The Odyssey and the assembly and command ship are to come to the launch area on February 4.
A tentative launch date is February 8.
Meteorologists had forecast a good weather on the routes the ships and in the launch area.
Storms seen from weather satellites are not bound to affect the routes of the sea platform and the assembly and command ship.
The launch will be the 19th in the Sea Launch project and the second for EcoStar Communications.
The Sea Launch successfully delivered into orbit an EcoStar-9 satellite in 2003.

-- Edited by Blobrana at 18:58, 2006-02-11