Thuraya-3 Successfully Launched!

Lifting off at 11:49 GMT (15:49 p.m. UAE local time) from the Odyssey Launch Platform at 154 degrees West Longitude, the Zenit-3SL rocket placed the 5,173 kg (11,381 lb) Thuraya-3 satellite manufactured by Boeing into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Spacecraft separation occurred 99 minutes after liftoff, at 1,388 miles above the Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand. A tracking station in Fillmore, California, acquired the first signal from the spacecraft a few minutes later as planned. All systems performed nominally throughout the flight.

Boeing built the Thuraya-3 spacecraft to provide a range of mobile voice and data services over large geographic regions. Thuraya, the world’s largest provider of handheld mobile satellite services, is preparing to operate commercially in Asia-Pacific markets as early as January 2008, when Thuraya-3 is expected to become operational. With a designed lifetime of 12 years, the satellite will be positioned in Geosynchronous Orbit, 35,786 km (22,236 miles) above the Earth, at 98.5 degrees East Longitude. 

X SAT FZE would like to take this opportunity to congratulate THURAYA with another remarkable milestone and looking forward for a joint cooperation in the Asia-Pacific market!

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