Well, the inaugural launch campaign of 2011 has begun and its spring time in Baikonur. The main team arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, followed by the remainder of the Khrunichev team arriving on Tuesday, and everyone is here to get the campaign underway. With the launch of the Telstar 14REstrela do Sul 2 satellite only a few weeks away, everyone is in work mode. With the on-time arrival of the spacecraft, Wednesday at 10:00 am, all necessary hardware is now in building 92A-50. The launch vehicle is sitting in Hall 111 undergoing final checkouts and the spacecraft has been transferred to Hall 103A for electrical health checks and the various other stand alone operations scheduled. And after this first hectic week of preparations and equipment moves, everyone is settling in to the choreographed schedule of launch operations. As it is a special holiday weekend around the world, many of the team will gather together for a special celebration dinner on Saturday night. Happy Easter from Baikonur!
