ESA TV coverage of Shuttle mission STS-117

The countdown for Shuttle Atlantis continues to proceed towards a 23:38 GMT liftoff tomorrow, Friday 8 June. There is a good (70-percent) chance that the weather is suitable for launch.

STS-117 is set to launch a double piece of the ISS’ backbone, the so-called truss, to which will be fixed two large solar generator panels.

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who flew to the ISS together with ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang in December, will be returning home aboard Atlantis. Her replacement, Clayton Anderson, was added to the crew during the three-month delay for fuel tank repairs. The Shuttle’s main tank had been damaged by hail on 26 February as the Shuttle was being prepared for mid-March liftoff.

ESA-TV will provide regular coverage of this mission. Today, the following transmission are scheduled (all times in GMT):

Friday 8 June

17:45-18:00 GMT Final astronaut photo opportunity

19:40-20:00 GMT Crew departs for Shuttle launch pad

23:30-24:00 GMT Final countdown, lift-off, flight into orbit

Saturday 9 June

06:00-06:30 GMT Flight Day 1 Highlights: best images of the past 24 hours

The satellite parameters for the above transmissions are:

Eutelsat Atlantic Bird at 12.5 degrees West, Transponder F5, channel D (SCPC) horizontal, F=12.652 MHz, SR=6.1113 Ms/sec, FEC=3/4

For further information and a daily update of the transmission schedule, visit our website at http://television.esa.int. For all enquires, contact Claus Habfast, Tel +31 71 565 3838, Fax +31 71 565 6340, e-mail claus.habfast@esa.int.