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| Mission Profile |
The Sea Launch team placed the Thuraya-2 satellite into Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit, with the spacecraft separating from the upper
stage at 1,388 miles above the Pacific Ocean on June 10, 2003.
Launching from its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees
West Longitude, Sea Launch inserted the spacecraft directly
into the required 6.3 degree inclined orbit, an optimal orbital
location for the Thuraya system.
Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the first stage and
then the payload fairing separated. Six minutes later, the
second stage separated from the Block DM-SL, or upper stage.
After the first burn of the Block DM-SL, the spacecraft coasted
for about one hour, performing thermal maneuvers, such as
a slow roll, to maintain a benign satellite environment. Following
this coast, the Block DM-SL made a second burn. Soon after
spacecraft separation about 25 minutes later, Boeing Satellite
Systems acquired the signal of the spacecraft from a ground
station in Uralla, Australia.
Designed for a 12-15 year lifespan, the satellite will be
positioned in Geosynchronous Orbit, 35,786 km (22,236 miles)
above the Earth, at
44 degrees East Longitude and inclined at 6.3 degrees.
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