Tuesday, April 28, 2015

SpaceX Delivers Satellite Into Orbit

Hawthorne-based SpaceX saw yet another successful launch on Monday evening, carrying the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite into geo transfer orbit at 7:03pm ET. SpaceX delivered the payload into space for customer Thales Alenia Space, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The new satellite, once it is fully operational, will offer up visibility into Europe, Central Asia, and virtually all of Africa, according to SpaceX, and will used by the Turkmenistan Ministry of Communications. The satellite mission is the latest in a series of satellite launches into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), which are considered some of the most difficult satellite delivery missions for spacecraft.

---