30 Jun 2009

SIRIUS FM-5 Second Burn Completion

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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30 Jun 2009

SIRIUS FM-5 Mission Success!

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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30 Jun 2009

SIRIUS FM-5 Third and Fourth Burn Completion

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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30 Jun 2009

SIRIUS FM-5 Stage Separations

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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19 Jun 2009

Joint Operations

Joint operations started with the mating of the spacecraft to the payload adapter and Breeze M upper stage. After a successful tilt into horizontal position, final checks were made of Sirius FM-5, before it was encapsulated by the two halves of the payload fairing. As we say ‘До свидания!’ [da svi∙dan∙ya] to the spacecraft (at least visually), we also say ‘Bon voyage!’ to the Loral mechanical and propulsion teams, who have left the Cosmodrome and are heading back to California. We will miss you all!

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15 Jun 2009

ILS Announces 9 New Proton Missions in First Half of 2009

PARIS AIR SHOW, June 15, 2009 – ILS International Launch Services, Inc. (ILS), a world leader in providing Proton launch services to the global commercial satellite industry, has secured six firm launch orders and three mission assignments in the first half of 2009.  ILS has also witnessed a significant trend where customers have moved from other launch providers to ILS Proton in order to meet their critical business requirements.

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