14 Dec 2014

Yamal-401 | Stage Separations

We had a successful liftoff about 11 minutes ago of the ILS Proton M Breeze M rocket, which is carrying the Yamal-401 satellite onboard. 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 about 5 minutes.

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23 Nov 2014

Breeze M Fueling

Breeze M Fueling
It’s that time….One A2G ILV ready for BM Fueling.  Today the ILV was transferred out of H111 to the BM Fueling area.  As we know fueling is a hazardous operation so the entire team has been relocated to our respective hotels for the duration of operations. These two days are when most team members take the opportunity to recharge, regroup, and unwind.  Some of the team will head into Baikonur-town for a day trip, catch up over lunch and perhaps even buy some Christmas presents for their loved ones at home. Others however will stay at the hotels, catch up with additional tasks/projects and naturally prepare for the upcoming operations….they are checking their lists….twice!

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19 Nov 2014

Joint Operations Begin!

Joint Operations Begin!
Joint operations have started! What a day it was yesterday. A collective, dedicated team effort along with a well-orchestrated plan provided for smooth transparent operations. The final product is the orbital unit sitting in the tilter in all its glory! Today it will be tilted (very carefully) into the horizontal position.  A plethora of activities will take place over the next few days, all of which will culminate into an Ascent Unit (SC enclosed by the Payload Fairing).

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10 Nov 2014

SC Fueling Operations – Day 1

Success! Day 1 of SC Fueling is complete.
For most of the launch campaign team it was a day to catch up on projects, rest and to recharge the batteries. For the Airbus Propulsion team it was an early start to a long day spent fueling the first tank of the A2G satellite. The team will be back at it again tomorrow to finish up the first of two commodities.

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04 Nov 2014

Team Building

31 October 2014
As always we try to bring a little bit of home with us. Today we brought the spirit of Halloween to our small corner of the desert with a traditional ILS BBQ of ribs and tri-tip.
Everyone had a great time – especially one of our spacecraft manufacturer team members who celebrated her birthday in style – with a scary (but delicious) birthday cake with edible webs and spiders!  Everyone was happy and in good spirits – no tricks but LOTS of treats all around!

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