Launch ship departs with JCSAT-9 satellite

March 31, 2006

The seagoing launch platform that will send the JCSAT-9 communications satellite into space next month was under way Friday.

The launch is scheduled for April 11 and will place a high-power satellite in geosynchronous orbit at 132 degrees East.

Sea Launch said Friday that the Zenit-3sL rocket would lift off from the floating pad in the open Pacific during a 34-minute window at around 23:30 GMT.

The JCSAT-9 is a high-power hybrid A21000AX spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin and equipped with C-band, S-band and Ku-band transponders with a minimum orbital life of 12 years.

It will be operated by JSAT Corp., a major communications satellite provider in the Asia-Pacific region.

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