Repaired Malaysian Satellite Launched into Orbit

A Malaysian communications satellite successfully journeyed to orbit Sunday after spending nearly an extra year on the ground for repairs to damage caused by a launch site crane accident last August.

A Land Launch Zenit 3SLB rocket lifted off at 2150 GMT (5:50 p.m. EDT) from Complex 45 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first phase of the launch was successful, placing the launcher's upper stage and the MEASAT 3a satellite in a temporary parking orbit about 12 minutes after liftoff, according to the launch provider.

Two more burns of the Block DM-SLB upper stage occurred as planned overnight to deliver the 5,216-pound spacecraft to a geosynchronous transfer orbit spanning from a low point of 7,220 miles to a high point of more than 22,000 miles. The targeted inclination is 10.63 degrees.

"Congratulations to MEASAT and to Orbital, and to the entire Land Launch team for successfully completing this mission," said Kjell Karlsen, president and general manager of Sea Launch. "This accomplishment represents the work of Space International Services, based in Moscow, and its collaboration with the Sea Launch partnership."

The launch was delayed from last August after a crane struck the spacecraft during final launch site processing at Baikonur.

MEASAT 3a was shipped back to the United States so its builder, Orbital Sciences Corp., could repair the satellite and ensure its systems were ready for flight.

The craft will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 91.5 degrees East Longitude. It carries 12 Ku-band for direct-to-home television broadcasting to Malaysia and Indonesia and 12 C-band transponders for services across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia.

"We would like to thank the entire Land Launch team, as well as those of Orbital and MEASAT, for their hard work and dedication which has led to the successful launch of the MEASAT 3a satellite today. On the completion of in-orbit testing, MEASAT 3a will provide a significant boost to our network capacity, allowing the continued expansion of our business across the wider Asia Pacific region," said Paul Brown-Kenyon, COO, MEASAT.

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