Live coverage of Expedition 40 / "Blue Dot" launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan - with EARLIER DOCKING START.

Date: Wed, May 28, 2014 | 19:00 - 04:00 GMT | 21:00 - 06:00 CEST

Type: ESA TV Live

Format: 16:9

On 28 May, German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, American Greg Wiseman and Russian Maxim Suarev will be launched aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a challenging 6-month mission on the International Space Station.

Launch is scheduled at 1957 GMT

Docking and ingress to the ISS will occur very early next morning, with rendez-vous taking place just 4 orbits/6 hours after launch.

ESA TV will provide live coverage in 3 parts for launch, docking and hatch-opening/crew greetings; with images from the historic cosmodrome, the mission control centre near Moscow, from inside the Soyuz capsule, the docking cameras and onboard ISS after hatch-opening.

The launch transmission will include launch-day images of the crew suit-up, walk-out and their farewell wave as they go onto the launcher. The docking part will include comment from ESA's Head of the Astronaut Corps Frank De Winne, as well as the Heads of the German agency, DLR, and ESA. 

The hatch-opening part will include comment from ESA's ISS Programme Manager Bernardo Patti. After hatch-opening and ingress, transmission should include images of the crew talking to their families viewing the events from Baikonur.

Transmssion times as follows:

Launch: 1900-2015GMT (but you can stay tuned for replays and directors reactions over following 30’)
Docking: 0100-0200GMT (29 May) NB EARLIER START TO DOCKING PART
Ingress: 0310-0400GMT

All transmissions will be carry ambient sound and commentary. For key points such as launch commentary will be paused to allow ambient cleanfeed only. We regret that full cleanfeed will not be available in Europe.

The full transmission(s) will be carried on ESA web.

 

As soon as possible after transmission, highlights will be posted on the ESA TV ftp server.

Server: tvdownload.esa.int
Login: esa
Password: ftp4esa
Please remember to use a ftp client as direct download access is not possible

More information at: http://www.esa.int/bluedot

Satellite Parameters:

Eutelsat 10A (@10degEast)

Txp B5 ChA - 9 MHz
D/link freq: 11126.83 polarisation X / horizontal
SR: 7.200 FEC: 3/4 Mod: DVB-S2/8PSK

Signal: HD 1080i/50 MPEG4 4:2:0, mono audio all tracks, audio PIDs open

For any inquiries regarding satellite or ftp reception please contact the ESA TV production team:
Dominique Detain at dominique.detain@esa.int or + 33 685 114 681

Chris Courtenay Taylor at chrisct@worldwidepictures.tv or + 44 7774 275 951.