Launch of FOTON-M3 / ESA TV Live / 14-09-2007

The next transmission of the ESA TV Service will be:

14-Sep-07 09:55 – 11:15 GMT

Launch of FOTON-M3

ESA TV Live

Background information on the transmission:

An unmanned Foton-M3 capsule, carrying a payload of around 40 European experiments, will launch onboard a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 13:00 CEST (11:00 UT) on 14 September.

The Foton capsule carries a 400 kg European experiment payload with experiments in a range of scientific disciplines – including fluid physics, biology, crystal growth, radiation exposure and exobiology.

The capsule spends 12 days orbiting the Earth, exposing the experiments to microgravity and, in the case of a handful of experiments also exposing them to the harsh environment of open space, before re-entering the atmosphere and landing in the border zone between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Later in the mission, students from all over Europe will wait with bated breath for the moment when their Young Engineers Experiment (YES2) is deployed from the Foton capsule. On 25 September, a small re-entry capsule will be released from the end of a 30 kilometre tether to demonstrate the possibility of returning small payloads to Earth at a fraction of the cost of current methods.

The launch transmission will include 30 mins of B-roll material covering integration of the experiments and roll-out of the launcher.

The transmission will also be webcast from the following site:

http://www.viewontv.com/esa/2007-09_foton-m3/

Transmission details:

Satellite parameters:

Eutelsat W2 at 16 deg East, Transponder F6, vertical, (SCPC, 4:2:0) F=12676.83 MHz, SR = 5.632 Ms/s, FEC = 3/4

For further information, contact Chris Courtenay Taylor, tel + 44 275 951 or mail chrisct@worldwidegroup.ltd.uk

With kind regards

ESA TV Service

For the latest transmission schedule, go to http://television.esa.int. For all enquires on transmissions, send contact ingrid.van.de.vyver@esa.int or call her mobile phone +32 495 209541. For ordering video tapes and questions on footage via ftp-transfer, contact television@esa.int.

With kind regards

ESA TV Service