We have had a successful mission with the Proton M Breeze M rocket, carrying the SIRIUS FM-5 satellite built by Space Systems Loral for SIRIUS XM Radio, Inc. We have had confirmation that the satellite separated from the vehicle on schedule at 12:24 AM Eastern Time, or 04:24 GMT, 9 hours and 14 minutes after liftoff. Everything occurred as planned with ignition, shutdown and separation of the Proton’s first three stages, then the Breeze M upper stage with the satellite continued the mission, igniting five times, and then releasing the satellite into transfer orbit.

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We have confirmed that the Breeze M upper stage has successfully completed its 3rd & 4th burns, 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 12:03 AM EDT, or 04:03 GMT. Separation of the SIRIUS FM-5 spacecraft is scheduled to follow the 5th burn completion by about 15 minutes.

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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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We had a successful liftoff about 15 minutes ago of our Proton Breeze M rocket, which is carrying the SIRIUS FM-5 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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We have liftoff! of the Proton M Breeze M rocket and the SIRIUS FM-5 satellite.

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As the Breeze M upper stage of our Proton M rocket continues its climb into space with the SIRIUS FM-5 satellite, we have received confirmation that the 2nd burn of the upper stage occurred and shut down as scheduled. The next events are scheduled for about 2 hours from now. The Breeze M upper stage will ignite for a 3rd time and burn for approximately 11 minutes; after that the additional propellant tank will be jettisoned, and the 4th burn will start. All this will happen in a span of almost 15 minutes while the vehicle is again out of range of a ground station. We should reacquire the vehicle shortly after the 4th burn ends.

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The SC team successfully completed their first day of propellant loading on Friday. Saturday is a preparation day for the second day of fueling, which takes place on Sunday. The Breeze M is also making its way to its fueling station for fueling on Sunday before making its way back to Hall 101 for the beginning of Joint Operations next week. With limited access to 92A-50 during fueling operations, a handful of people made their way to Kurkut. Kurkut is a memorial dedicated to a famous Kazakh poet and musician credited with inventing the kobyz, the national instrument of Kazakhstan. The poet is buried near the memorial. After a very interesting and educational hour touring the museum and walking around the site, we hopped back into the bus and made a stop in town for some pizza before heading back to base camp.

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