An ILS Proton rocket lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the 13,558-pound KA-SAT satellite to orbit. Image Credit: Khrunichev
BAIKONUR – An International Launch Services (ILS) Proton rocket successfully launched the European KA-SAT satellite today.
The ILS Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:51 a.m. local time (4:51 p.m. EST, 10:51 p.m. in Paris on December 26). After a 9 hour 12 minute mission, the Breeze-M stage successfully released the KA-SAT satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.
The launch of the KA-SAT satellite marks the 8th ILS Proton launch of the year; a record number of commercial launches for ILS. This was also the 64th commercial launch to date for ILS and the 12th Proton launch for the year.
The Proton Breeze-M vehicle is built by the Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow. NOTE: Khrunichev is a majority owner of ILS.
The Proton rocket has been in production since 1965 and has a proud heritage of 363 missions.
The 6150 kg KA-SAT satellite was built on the Eurostar E3000 platform by Astrium and is expected to remain operational for 15 years.
With its total capacity of 70 Gbps, KA-SAT is ranked as the world’s most powerful satellite and will be situated at Eutelsat’s 9 degrees East location. Through a configuration of 82 spot beams and a ground infrastructure of ten gateways connected to the Internet, KA-SAT will provide service across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.
An artist's concept of the KA-SAT spacecraft in orbit. Image Credit: Astrium
Frank McKenna, president of ILS said, “We worked very closely with Eutelsat and Astrium to ensure the successful launch of the KA-SAT satellite on ILS Proton. We are honored to play an important role in the deployment of innovative programs and technologies such as KA-SAT, the first European satellite that will operate exclusively in high capacity Ka-band frequencies. We thank Eutelsat for relying on ILS Proton once again to deliver their spacecraft securely into orbit.”
“We are pleased to continue our long term relationship with ILS with the launch of KA-SAT on the powerful Proton Breeze M rocket. The launch of this High Throughput Satellite marks the opening of a new era for satellite-delivered broadband and data services across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It is also new evidence of Eutelsat’s commitment to innovation that broadens the scope of satellite-based services in a rapidly-expanding digital economy. Our sincere thanks and appreciation go out to the entire team of ILS, Khrunichev and Astrium, for their tireless work on this mission,” said Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat.
