Inmarsat-4 Mission aboard Sea Launch Delayed

(Updated 11-8-2005: See below) According to a statement issued by the company, the launch of the broadband Inmarsat-4 satellite originally scheduled for November 5, 2005, has been scrubbed and rescheduled for 14:07 hours GMT, November 8. The only explanation in the press release was that the launch countdown was stopped prior to fueling due to an "automated halt in the launch countdown system."

Sea Launch consists of a three element system intended to provide powerful and cost effective heavy lift services. The booster is based on a Russian Zenit-3SL rocket. The unusual aspect is, of course, the open ocean launch site.

The launch pad for the big Zenit is a self propelled converted oil drilling platform called Odyssey. Mission control goes to sea right along side aboard a modified roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel called the Sea Launch Commander.

The Zenit is capable of putting 6,000 kg in geosynchronous orbit. All three stages are kerosene and oxygen fueled.

UPDATE:

According to a statement on the Sea Launch website, the Sea Launch system has successfully completed the Inmarsat-4 mission. A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket lifted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform at 6:07 am PST (14:07 GMT).

All phases of the flight profile performed as expected. The mission ended with spacecraft separation from the Block DM upper stage, placing the Inmarsat-4 communications satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. A ground station in British Columbia, Canada, acquired the spacecraft signal. All systems are operating nominally.