Launch Set for Boeing-Built Thuraya-2 Mobile Communications Satellite
ST. LOUIS, June 06, 2003 -- Thuraya-2, the second satellite built by Boeing [NYSE:BA] for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is set to launch on Tuesday, June 10. The satellite will be lifted into orbit by Sea Launch Company, LLC aboard a Zenit-3SL rocket from the Odyssey Launch Platform positioned on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The 44-minute launch window opens at 6:56 a.m. PDT (13:56:00 GMT).
The Boeing GEO-Mobile model satellite was built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) in El Segundo, Calif. In addition to Thuraya's first satellite, BSS also designed and built the ground system and supplied user handsets for the Thuraya network, which provides mobile voice and data communication services to a region of more than 100 countries in Europe, the Middle East, North and Central Africa, and Central and South Asia.
"From its orbital slot at 44 degrees East longitude, Thuraya-2 will support the long-term growth and success of the Thuraya service," said Dave Ryan, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. "The satellite's advanced technology includes a powerful digital signal processor capable of trillions of operations per second, and a more than 40-foot-wide aperature antenna that lets it handle nearly 14,000 mobile-to-mobile calls simultaneously. I speak for everyone at BSS when I say how proud we are of Thuraya-2 and the team that built it."
Thuraya-2 will be the eighth Boeing satellite launched by Sea Launch, a multinational partnership headquartered in Long Beach, Calif. Sea Launch successfully orbited Thuraya-1 in October 2000.
The Boeing Company is the world's leading aerospace company, with its heritage mirroring the history of flight. It is the largest manufacturer of satellites, commercial jetliners and military aircraft. The company is also a global market leader in missile defense, human space flight and launch services.
Note to editors: Live video of the launch will be carried on the AMC-3 satellite, transponder #18, Ku-band (Audio: 6.2 subcarrier for English; 6.8 subcarrier for Arabic). You are welcome to use the feed in your news broadcasts.
High-resolution photos to accompany this release and QuickTime video clips of a spacecraft deployment animation and other construction milestones are all available for download.
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Contact Info:
Richard Esposito
Boeing Satellite Systems
310-335-6314
richard.esposito@boeing.com
Madonna Walsh
Boeing IDS News Bureau
314-234-1362
madonna.a.walsh@boeing.com
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