The Sea Launch team entered the final countdown window for the launch of the DIRECTV 11 broadcast satellite. Liftoff is planned at 3:49 pm PDT (22:49 GMT). Sea Launcshaid it will provide live coverage of the launch via its website.
DIRECTV 11 is one of three recent Boeing 702-model spacecraft built for DIRECTV and is among the largest and most powerful Ka-band satellites built to date. The on-board technology of this direct-to-home satellite will enable DIRECTV to continue to expand its massive capacity expansion and further strengthen its position as the leading provider of High Definition programming in the United States. This is the fourth satellite Sea Launch will deploy for DIRECTV. Previous satellites include Spaceway 1 (April 26, 2005), DIRECTV 7S (May 4, 2004) and DIRECTV 1R (October 9, 1999).
http://www.sea-launch.com
