THE BAIKONUR STAMPEDE!!!

It has been about 1 week since our return to Baikonur and everyone is beginning to settle in.  ILS, Pinkerton, Intelsat, and Orbital were able to enjoy a chilly, but delicious BBQ, followed by a small bonfire to keep us warm from the first signs of fall.  Aside from BBQs, the daily life is not so different as it is from home-wherever that might be.  Every day starts off with a hearty breakfast-your choice of eggs, bacon, cereal, toast and jam, or maybe just some fruit.  As Tom from ILS can show us, Baikonur mornings are a happy time.  After breakfast it is time to get to work, which mostly takes place at Building 92A-50.  Just like any weekday morning at home, there is always traffic.  Baikonur, believe it or not, has its own kind of traffic…have you ever heard of a traffic jam from a stampede of camels?  Well, maybe Baikonur daily life is a little different from home.  After a hard day’s work, campaign participants head back to the hotels to unwind.  Some throw the football around, others exercise, and others gather for movie nights!  All of this fun and we get to do it all over again the next day!?  My, my do we have it made.

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The Intelsat 23 campaign is back…and it is better than ever!

The Intelsat 23 (IS-23) campaign originally began with the early team arrival in Baikonur on June 12th, 2012.  Due to a delay, the campaign was put on hold.  Although some people were able to return home for a few weeks, there were others who stayed behind in Baikonur.  We would like to thank those at Orbital, ILS, ILS Logistics, and Pinkertons who stayed in Baikonur to hold the fort down. 

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SES-5| Mission Successful!

We have had a successful mission with the Proton M Breeze M rocket, carrying the SES-5 satellite built by Space Systems/Loral for SES. We have had confirmation that the satellite separated from the vehicle on schedule at 11:50 PM Eastern Time, or 3:50 AM GMT, 9 hours and 12 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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SES-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 at 11:31 PM Eastern time, or 3:31 AM GMT. Separation of the SES-5 spacecraft is scheduled to follow that by about 20 minutes.
 

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SES-5| Second Burn Completion

As the Breeze M upper stage of our Proton M rocket continues its climb into space with the SES-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 about 10 minutes; after that the additional propellant tank will be jettisoned, and the 4th burn will start. All this will happen in a span of about 20 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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SES-5| 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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SES-5| Stage Separations

We had a successful liftoff about 12 minutes ago of our Proton M Breeze M rocket, which is carrying the SES-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 4 minutes.
 

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SES-5 | Closer to Launch

Well, here we are six days before launch!  Everyone is getting excited as we get closer to the big day:
 
Last minute facility checks are being made by SSL then Saturday Khrunichev will take the spacecraft and begin the very long process of fueling the Breeze M in only one day (18 hours!). It is then off to the launch pad the following day for final preparations before liftoff.

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Nimiq 6 | Mission Success

We have had a successful mission with the ILS Proton Rocket carrying the Nimiq 6 satellite built by Space Systems/Loral. We have had confirmation that the Nimiq 6 satellite separated from the vehicle on schedule at 00:26 a.m. EDT, or 04:26 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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Contact Us!

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