Elon Musk's SpaceX is looking at April 7 to launch the Intelsat 40e, or IS-40E, mission to geosynchronous orbit.
What Happened: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the IS-40e mission from Space Launch Complex in Florida on Friday to a geosynchronous transfer orbit, the spacecraft manufacturer said in a statement.
The launch window, which is 119 minutes long, opens at 12:30 a.m. ET. Backup launch opportunity has been ascertained for April 8 at 12:29 a.m. ET.
Targeting Friday, April 7 for a Falcon 9 launch of the @Intelsat IS-40e mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The 119-minute window opens at 12:30 a.m. ET →
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 5, 2023
"When in geosynchronous orbit over North America, the communication satellite will provide focused coverage for many of Intelsat's customers, including commercial aviation, mobility and networks," Intelsat said in a tweet.
The satellites will further track air pollution with NASA's pollution-monitoring payload called TEMPO.
TEMPO, or Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, will be part of a virtual constellation of air pollution monitors, which also include Korean Aerospace Research Institute GEO-KOMPSAT-2B satellite and European Space Agency Sentinel-4 satellite.
Intelsat 40e is fueled up and one step closer to launch!
— Intelsat (@INTELSAT) April 4, 2023
Working closely with IS-40e manufacturer @Maxar, IS-40e completed propellant loading operations and is now onto the next phase of the launch integration. pic.twitter.com/yLkOqT09Ef
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Intelsat, a satellite-based communications provider, serves seven of the world's top 10 mobile network operators and has 56 satellites.
Last week, it was reported that Luxembourg-based satellite telecom company SES SA (OTC:SGBAF) is in talks with Intelsat SA to create a new satellite company. However, no transaction has been announced yet.
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