XM launch delayed again
Posted: Fri, Feb 18, 2005, 7:19 AM ET (1219 GMT)
The launch of an XM Satellite Radio spacecraft on a Zenit 3SL was delayed again Thursday because of wind and sea conditions. The launch, already delayed 24 hours because of rough seas, was pushed back again because of a "combination of current, waves, [and] wind", according to the Sea Launch web site. No new launch date has been announced. The rocket will place into orbit XM-3, a new digital radio satellite for XM Satellite Radio. The satellite will serve as a partial replacement for the company's two existing satellites, XM-1 and 2 (also known as "Rock" and "Roll"), launched in 2001. Those satellites are still in operation but are expected to gradually lose power because of a flaw in the solar power system. The launch will be the first for the multinational Sea Launch consortium since a June 2004 launch that placed its payload in a low orbit when the booster's upper stage shut down prematurely.
The launch of an XM Satellite Radio spacecraft on a Zenit 3SL was delayed again Thursday because of wind and sea conditions. The launch, already delayed 24 hours because of rough seas, was pushed back again because of a "combination of current, waves, [and] wind", according to the Sea Launch web site. No new launch date has been announced. The rocket will place into orbit XM-3, a new digital radio satellite for XM Satellite Radio. The satellite will serve as a partial replacement for the company's two existing satellites, XM-1 and 2 (also known as "Rock" and "Roll"), launched in 2001. Those satellites are still in operation but are expected to gradually lose power because of a flaw in the solar power system. The launch will be the first for the multinational Sea Launch consortium since a June 2004 launch that placed its payload in a low orbit when the booster's upper stage shut down prematurely.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, March 21
Cosmic telephoto lens shows intense, early star formation
Science News — 7:06 pm ET (2306 GMT) APEX Snaps First Close-up of Star Factories in Distant Universe
ESO — 7:05 pm ET (2305 GMT) Astronomers Get Sharpest View Ever of Star Factories in Distant Universe
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics — 7:04 pm ET (2304 GMT) Military sites could help launch SA into space
The Times (South Africa) — 9:42 am ET (1342 GMT) New Mexico residents have yet to book spaceflights
Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News — 9:42 am ET (1342 GMT) |