Welcome to the KA-SAT Blog!

Welcome to the eigth ILS Proton launch campaign for 2010 – the launch of the EADS Astrium-built KA-SAT satellite for Eutelsat. Follow along with the mission team as they prepare for the launch.

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ILS Proton Succesfully Launches LightSquared Satellite; 7th ILS Proton mission of 2010; 27th Successful Proton Launch in 28 months

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, November 14, 2010 – International Launch Services (ILS), a world leader in providing mission and launch services to the commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the SkyTerra 1 satellite into orbit today on an ILS Proton for LightSquared of Reston, Virginia. This was the 7th commercial mission of the year for ILS and the 10th successful Proton launch of 2010.  The ILS Proton launch of SkyTerra 1 was the first satellite launch for LightSquared.

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SkyTerra 1 Mission Successful!

We have had a successful mission with the Proton M Breeze M rocket, carrying the SkyTerra 1 satellite built by Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. We have had confirmation that the satellite separated from the vehicle on schedule at 9:43 p.m. EST, or 02:43 UTC, 9 hours and 14 minutes after liftoff.

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SkyTerra 1 Second Burn Completion

As the Breeze M upper stage of our Proton M rocket continues its climb into space with the SkyTerra 1 satellite, we have received confirmation that the 2nd burn of the upper stage occurred and shut down as scheduled.

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SkyTerra 1 Third and Fourth Burn Completion

We have confirmed that the Breeze M upper stage has successfully completed its 3rd and 4th burn, as well as jettisoning its additional propellant tank. The vehicle is now in a 5-hour coast period, during which we will have nothing to report. The 5th burn is scheduled to start around 9:22 p.m. EST, or 02:22 GMT. Separation of the SkyTerra 1 spacecraft is scheduled to follow the 5th burn completion by about 14 minutes.

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SkyTerra 1 First Burn Completion

We have received confirmation of completion of the first burn. The vehicle is now scheduled to be out of range for about an hour, after which we will hear confirmation of the second burn.

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SkyTerra 1 Stage Separations

We had a successful liftoff about 11 minutes ago of our Proton M Breeze M rocket, which is carrying the SkyTerra 1 satellite. The three stages of the Proton vehicle have performed as planned, and it is up to the Breeze M upper stage to complete the mission. The upper stage has begun its first burn, which is scheduled to last around 7 minutes.

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When A Schedule Comes Together

Joint operations continues right on schedule, as Hall 101 operations continue on full swing. Following the mate of the SC to the Breeze M, all eyes were on the KhSC tilter unit, as the orbital unit was rotated to the horizontal position. This is always an exciting scene as thousands of pounds of flight hardware are moved into a cantilevered position. This is one of the very unique things about a Proton launch vehicle assembly process. The hardware is assembled horizontally.

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Contact Us!

For the latest news and information, or if you have a question, please email ILS at contactus@ilslaunch.com