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Russia/USA: Telstar-18 is "Safe and Sound" - Sea Launch Director

Posted on: Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

Los Angeles, 30 June: The communications satellite Telstar-18, blasted off under the international Sea Launch project, is "safe and sound" as well as fully controllable, while appropriate land tracking stations are receiving information from the spacecraft. This information was given by director of the Sea Launch programme at the Energia Space Corporation. Valeriy Aliev in an exclusive interview with TASS, referring to data, supplied by the American side.

He is aboard the Assembly and Command Ship (ACS), which controlled the launching of the Zenit-3SL missile, putting Telstar- 18 into orbit.

Aliev added that the satellite has already unfolded its solar panels and appropriate antenna devices. The spacecraft is now raising its transfer orbit with its own jet and fuel aboard. The Russian expert noted that the American side (mostly specialists of a company which developed Telstar-18) now performs all operations with the satellite.

The ACS has already left the place of launching on the Equator and is heading for its base port in Long Beach, California. As for the floating launching platform Odyssey, it is now discharging water ballast. It will also depart in the direction of its base port at 2300 local time. Earlier, work on putting equipment into its initial position and its inspection was carried out on the platform. No irregularities were detected.

Telstar-18 was the 14th satellite put into orbit under the Sea Launch project. The next lift-off is tentatively planned for late August.

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