SpaceX launches EchoStar communication satellite

Washington March 16 (IANS) SpaceX on Thursday launched the EchoStar 23 communications satellite after high winds delayed a previous attempt.

The launch took place at the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX s Falcon 9 rocket deployed the EchoStar 23 -- a commercial communications satellite for EchoStar Corporation -- to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

Successful deployment of @EchoStar XXIII to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit confirmed the Hawthorne California-headquartered company headed by Elon Musk said in a tweet.

Headquartered in Englewood Colorado and conducting business around the globe EchoStar Corporation is global provider of satellite communication solutions.

EchoStar 23 is a highly flexible Ku-band broadcast satellite services (BSS) satellite with four main reflectors and multiple sub-reflectors supporting mission profiles.

High winds forced SpaceX to postpone an earlier attempt to launch the communications satellite on Tuesday.

--IANS
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