The Sea Launch Company launched the EchoStar XI direct broadcast satellite (DBS) at 10:21pm Pacific Time on July 15 (5:21 GMT, July 16), Itar-Tass reports.
A Zenit-3SL vehicle lifted the 5,511 kg spacecraft to geosynchronous transfer orbit from the launch pad on the Odyssey launch platform in the Pacific Ocean.
EchoStar XI will support the expansion of DISH Network capacity to 14 million customers throughout the United States.
This is the company’s fourth launch this year. Sea Launch has already made 28 successful launches.
The company’s partners are U.S.’ Boeing, Russia’s RSC-Energia, Ukraine’ s SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash and Norway’s Aker.