The EchoStar XIX satellite has been encapsulated in a protective launch vehicle fairing in preparation for its Dec. 18 launch, Lockheed Martin said Monday.
The satellite was connected to an adapter and enclosed in the four-meter fairing. It will now be transported to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral where it will be lifted by crane and mated with the Atlas rocket.
“We’ve basically buckled the seatbelt over EchoStar XIX,” said Steve Skladanek, president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, in a statement.
“Now it’s time for Atlas to give it a safe and smooth ride to orbit. No vehicle combines the reliability, orbital accuracy, and schedule certainty of Atlas. That has real value for commercial customers, and we’re grateful that EchoStar has placed its confidence in the world’s most reliable rocket.”
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense