The Sea Launch Company has signed an agreement with PanAmSat for the launch of the Horizons-2 satellite, the second commercial mission scheduled to fly on the Land Launch system from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan.
PanAmSat is executing one of several launch options as part of an agreement signed with Sea Launch on July 12, 2005. The agreement provides for a Zenit-3SLB vehicle to lift the Horizons-2 satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) from Baikonur in 2007. Built by Orbital Sciences, the 2,300 kg (5,070 lb) STAR-2 spacecraft will be located at 74 degrees West Longitude.
Horizons-2 is a new high-powered Ku-band satellite that will support services ranging from digital video, high-definition television (HDTV) and IP-based content distribution networks to broadband Internet and satellite newsgathering services (SNG) in the U.S. market.
Horizons-2 is a joint venture between PanAmSat and JSAT Corporation. This is the second mission Sea Launch will perform for the Horizons venture. In September of 2003, Sea Launch successfully launched the 4,090 kg (9081 lb) Galaxy XIII/Horizons-1 satellite to GTO.
The Land Launch system is based on the collaboration of the Sea Launch Company and Space International Services (SIS), both international companies, to meet the launch needs of an emerging market for dedicated commercial launches in the medium spacecraft mass range.
Leveraging heritage hardware, systems and expertise, Land Launch uses a Zenit-3SLB version of the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from the existing Zenit launch site at Baikonur to lift commercial satellites in the 2000-3600 kg range to GTO.
