WASHINGTON, November 5 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Berezin) - The lift-off of the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle carrying the Inmarsat-4 satellite was put off by 24 hours.

The reason for the delay was not immediately clear.

The satellite launch was scheduled for 5:19 p.m. Moscow time from the Odyssey launch platform in the Pacific.

The Zenit-3SL launch vehicle is to put the 5,958 kg I-4 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Built by EADS Astrium for Inmarsat, the I-4 satellite is to ensure data transmission to North and South Americas for over 13 years.

Sea Launch was created in 1995 as a consortium that included Boeing (United States), Kvaerner Group (Norway), Russian space corporation Energia (Moscow), the Yuzhnoye design bureau (Ukraine) and the Yuzhmash production association (Ukraine).

Preparations for the launch lasted 72 hours. Specialists conducted the final tests on the launch system and the satellite itself.