February 21, 2006
Payload: ARABSAT 4A
Eurostar E2000+ platform
Separated mass: approx. 3,341 kg (7,366 lbs)
Launch Vehicle: Proton M/Breeze M
Weight at liftoff: 691,272 kg (1.5 million lbs), including payload
Height: 61 m (200 ft)
Launch Time: 2:10 a.m. March 1 Baikonur
20:10 Feb. 28 GMT
3:10 p.m. Feb. 28 EST
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Launch Pad 39
End User: ARABSAT, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Satellite Manufacturer: EADS Astrium, Toulouse, France
Launch Vehicle Manufacturer: Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Moscow
Launch Services Provider: International Launch Services (ILS), McLean, Va.
Satellite Use: Multipurpose communications satellite serving Arab countries and neighboring regions. A hybrid Ku- and C-band payload will carry direct-to-home, interactive TV and internet broadband services, with additional capacity to accommodate anticipated demand for high-definition TV.
Satellite Statistics:
16 active Ku-band transponders
24 active C-band transponders
Orbital location: 26 degrees East longitude
Anticipated service life of 15 years
Mission Profile: The Proton launch vehicle will inject the satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit, using a four-burn Breeze M mission design. The first three stages of the Proton will use a standard ascent trajectory to place the Breeze M fourth stage, with the satellite, into a suborbital trajectory, from which the Breeze M will place itself and the spacecraft into a circular parking orbit of 173 km (107.5 miles), inclined at 51.5 degrees. Then the satellite will be propelled to its transfer orbit by additional burns of the Breeze M. Following separation from the Breeze M, the spacecraft will perform a series of liquid apogee engine burns to raise perigee, lower inclination and circularize the orbit at the geostationary altitude of 35,786 km (22,236 miles).
Target Orbit at Separation:
Apogee: 35,786 km (22,236 miles)
Perigee: 3,150 km (1,957 miles)
Inclination: 14.2 degrees
Spacecraft Separation: Approximately 4 hours after liftoff
ILS Mission Statistics:
1st ILS Proton mission of 2006
2nd ILS mission overall for 2006
5th Proton launch of EADS Astrium Eurostar bus
1st of 2 launches with ARABSAT 4 series payload
36th ILS mission on Proton
Live Broadcast in North America: Intelsat IA-6, 93 degrees West, transponder 9, C-band, analog NTSC, downlink 3880 MHz (vertical)
Test signals start at 2:30 p.m. EST
Live Broadcast in Europe & Middle East: New Skies NSS-7, 338 degrees East, transponder WHL3/EUH2, Ku-band, digital PAL, downlink 11,073.500 MHz (horizontal), symbol rate 6.1113, fec: 3/4.
Test signals start at 19:30 GMT
More Information: Live webcast and general mission information are available on the ILS web site at www.ilslaunch.com. Launch status updates are available on the ILS U.S. domestic Launch Hotline at 1-800-852-4980.
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