Boeing

After a halt in the countdown for launch on February 8, Sea Launch is now preparing for a second launch attempt on Sunday, February 12, with liftoff planned for 3:35pm PST (23:35 GMT).

The Zenit-3SL rocket is now erect on the launch pad, and preparations are underway at the launch site. On launch day, the rocket will lift the 4,333 kg (9,553 lb.) EchoStar X satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on the way to its final orbital position of 110 degrees West Longitude.

"We understand the ground support system issue we observed during countdown last Wednesday and we are confident that our corrective action will support a successful liftoff on Sunday," said Jim Maser, president and general manager of Sea Launch.

This is Sea Launch's second mission for EchoStar and its first mission with a Lockheed Martin spacecraft. Built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, the high-power Ku Band A2100-AX spacecraft is designed with a minimum service life of 15 years on orbit. Optimized with additional bandwidth for direct broadcast applications, EchoStar X is a new-generation satellite that will enable DISH Network to deliver expanded television services and channel offerings to its customers throughout the United States.

Sea Launch will carry a live satellite feed and streaming video of the entire mission, beginning at 3:15 pm PT (23:15 GMT) on Feb. 12. Transponder coordinates for downlinking this feed are posted at:www.boeing.com/nosearch/sealaunch/broadcast.html. A simultaneous webcast may be accessed at: www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html.