We have liftoff! of the Proton M Breeze M rocket and the Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite.
 

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Over the past few days there has been much activity in preparation for the launch of Inmarsat-5 F1.  The Proton launch vehicle is in Hall 111 while the Breeze-M is in Hall 101, both are undergoing testing.  The payload fairing is in Hall 101 and is ready for joint operations to begin.   And the SC is completing its own series of tests prior to joining the Breeze-M in Hall 101. A lot of activity!

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Today, right on schedule, the Breeze-M upper stage arrived in Baikonur at Yubileiny Airfield on an Antonov 124.   It was then offloaded to a rail car and a few hours later rolled into Hall 101 for testing in preparation for joint operations.    Testing on the SC is proceeding very well and will soon move into Hall Hall 101 for mating with the Breeze-M.   This campaign is well underway!

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Once the SC in its container was safely inside 92A-50 and after the Globus-1M-3/Proton launch from Pad 24, the team began early in the day to offload the SC and perform a fitcheck.  The offload requires highly skilled manpower to meticulously transfer the SC safely off the railcar, unpack it from its container and place it onto the payload adaptor for the fitcheck. 
Within the next week, the SC will undergo rigorous testing.  During this time, the team will gradually adjust to their new surroundings and time-zone changes (11 hours for ILS and 14 hours for Boeing).

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With the full Inmarsat-5 F1 team gathered in Baikonur, they headed to Yubileiny Airfield to meet the Antonov-124 that was delivering the Inmarsat-5 F1 spacecraft.  Just like commercial flights, the Antonov-124 can also experience weather delays, as was the case today due to rough weather over Canada and Iceland.  After touchdown the SC in its container was slowly and precisely maneuvered to the railcar for its journey to hall 92A-50 and arrived at approximately 00h30 on 12 Nov. 

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