Anthony Ayiomamitis wrote: > Re: Hellas-Sat > > From: Jeff Foust (jfoust@alum.mit.edu) > Date: Mon Mar 03 2003 - 10:46:21 EST > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >>The launch date is TBA due to Centaur upper stage replacement. > > > > > > Can I please trouble you for some info as to how recent this info > > is? The reason I ask is that there is a big hoopla making rounds right > > now about the event ... so much so that one of the national television > > stations plans to show the launch live which, according to them, is at > > 00:40 AM local time (Mar 14/03). > Hi Jeff, > The launch delay was announced February 26 by ILS: > http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec20/ > ... and you would think the clowns here would pick up on this and not rush to make such grand scale plans and announcements ... > While the length of the delay is not mentioned, knowledgeable sources > suggest that the launch will take place no sooner than May. > ... this is interesting since we lost one of the two allocated slots due to bureaucracy and delays and we now risk the second slot as well since the leased satellite currently in position is scheduled to exhaust its fuel supplies in mid-April. Unless I misread the local press reports on the weekend, the replacement satellite (Hellas-Sat) must be in place before the current satellite goes off. Aside from a personal and national interest, I have another reason for being so interested in the lauch etc as I hope to try and image the booster rocket doing its thing with the satellite doing some manouvering as well. Yes, I am probably way off base here but worth a shot ... how often does one get an opportunity to image something like this in action. The timing was also perfect since the launch was supposed to be 00:40 local time here in Greece with the satellite being in position around 32 minutes later (according to the local press reports). Anthony. > Jeff Foust > jfoust@alum.mit.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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