Posted: Wed, Sep 24, 2008, 7:23 AM ET (1123 GMT)
Sea Launch announced this week that it has won a contract to launch a network of communications satellites for a startup venture. O3b Networks will launch its initial system of 16 medium Earth orbit satellites on a pair of Zenit-3SL launches, with the first scheduled in late 2010. Sea Launch will develop a new payload adapter to accommodate eight spacecraft, each weighing about 700 kilograms, on a single vehicle. O3b unveiled earlier this month its plans to develop its MEO satellite constellation to provide broadband data services to underserved regions of the globe. The satellites will be built by Thales Alenia Space.
