spacetoday.net: Atlas 5 launches Hellas-Sat

Posted: Wed, May 14, 2003, 8:55 AM ET (1255 GMT)
Atlas 5 launch of Hellas Sat (ILS)

An Atlas 5 booster successfully launched a Greek communications satellite Tuesday evening. The Atlas 5 401 lifted off from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 6:10 pm EDT (2210 GMT). Its payload, the Hellas-Sat communications satellite, separated from the Centaur upper stage 31 minutes after liftoff, after the booster placed it into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The launch, postponed 24 hours because of an avionics problem with the Centaur, was delayed 13 minutes because of two boats that strayed into restricted waters off the coast. The 3,250-kilogram Hellas-Sat will be placed at 39 degrees east longitude; its 30 Ku-band transponders will be used for television broadcasts, including for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The launch was the second for the Atlas 5, which made its debut in August of last year. Another Atlas 5 launch is scheduled for this July.