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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10 Jun 2009

ILS Announces Two Additional Firm Proton Launches and One Option for Intelsat

RESTON, Va. / Pembroke, Bermuda, June 10, 2009 – International Launch Services (ILS) announces a second contract for two new firm launches and one optional launch for Intelsat of Bermuda, the world’s largest satellite operator. This comes on the heels of the March 23, 2009 announcement for the launch of the Intelsat 16 satellite on an ILS Proton. Contract terms and mission assignments for these awards were not disclosed.

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09 Jun 2009

Preparations Continue for the SIRIUS FM-5 Launch


BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, June 09, 2009 –The Breeze M upper stage designated for the SIRIUS FM-5 telecommunications satellite launch arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, 07 June.  The upper stage was delivered from Moscow, where it was manufactured by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. Over the next few days electrical testing will continue on both the Breeze M as well as the launch vehicle.

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05 Jun 2009

Volleyball and Taco Night

Thursday night featured a duo of events for the Launch Team: an international friendly volleyball game (SS/Loral versus Khrunichev) and an international cuisine. The report has come back that the Russians narrowly defeated the Americans in a tightly fought battle. Unfortunately there is no photographic record of this match, as there arose some unexpected camera difficulties. A rematch will take place sometime in the near future, as our colleagues from DB Salyut and ZERKT arrive this weekend and will be able to supplement the Khrunichev squad. As Loral and Khrunichev were battling it out on the volleyball court, ILS was cooking up a storm at the Polyot kitchen in preparation for burrito night in appreciation of all of our Pinkerton guards. Burrito night was a resounding success and everyone’s stomach wished that the food was not quite so good, since more than one person left the table with an over-full belly.

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28 May 2009

SC Arrival/ Fitcheck

The SC arrived right on schedule on Tuesday. Due to some extremely windy conditions, it arrived at the processing facility early the next morning, where it was unpacked and prepared for the Fitcheck with the adapter. After a successful Fitcheck on Wednesday, the SC made its way into Hall 103A for standalone operations. We will welcome the propulsion team and say good bye to some of our colleagues with a barbeque on Sunday.

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26 May 2009

Arrival In Baikonur

The majority of the Sirius FM-5 campaign team landed in Baikonur just after a rare rain shower on Saturday afternoon. We were met by a cool breeze and a gorgeous day. The days have remained cool and sunny and we hope that this uncharacteristically fine weather holds for our Memorial Day barbeque this evening and spacecraft arrival tomorrow.

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26 May 2009

SIRIUS FM-5 Spacecraft Delivered to Baikonur

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, May 26, 2009 – Following the delivery, on 22 May, of the Proton M booster rocket designated for the SIRIUS FM-5 launch, the aforementioned spacecraft was delivered to the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 26 May. After passing through customs, the spacecraft was transferred to building 92A-50 for testing and integration.

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22 May 2009

ILS to Launch SkyTerra’s Second Satellite

RESTON, Va., May 22, 2009 – International Launch Services (ILS) announced today that it will launch the SkyTerra 2 satellite. This is the second of two satellite launches that ILS has been awarded from SkyTerra, following the selection of ILS in May 2007 to launch SkyTerra 1 on an ILS Proton launch vehicle. SkyTerra 2 is a Boeing 702 satellite, weighing 5.4 metric tons and is under construction by Boeing Satellite Systems, in El Segundo, California. ILS and Khrunichev are implementing a schedule to support a launch in late 2010. 

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21 May 2009

End of IndoStar II/ ProtoStar II Mission

It is the end of another successful mission here at ILS. The ILS launch team members that were planning on returning to the US, have done so. Thanks to everyone who followed along with the blog. Please stay tuned because the next launch is already in preparation.

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16 May 2009

IndoStar II/ ProtoStar II 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 for around 5:50 am EDT, or 09:50 GMT. Separation of the IndoStar II/ProtoStar II spacecraft is scheduled to follow the 5th burn completion by about 15 minutes.

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