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ILS Proton Successfully Launches AsiaSat 5 Satellite
Baikonur, Kazakhstan (SPX) Aug 13, 2009 International Launch Services (ILS), a world leader in providing mission and launch services to the commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the AsiaSat 5 satellite into orbit on an ILS Proton for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) of Hong Kong. This was the fourth commercial mission of the year for ILS and the sixth successful Proton launch of 2009. From contract signing to launch, the full integration of the AsiaSat 5 mission was completed in less than six months. The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:47 a.m. local time (3:47 a.m. in Hong Kong, August 12, 19:47 GMT, August 11 and 3:47 p.m. EDT, August 11). After a 9 hour 15 minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the AsiaSat 5 satellite, weighing over 3.7 metric tons, into geo-transfer orbit. This was the 347th launch for the Proton. The Proton Breeze M vehicle is developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, Russia's premier space manufacturer. Built by Space Systems/Loral, AsiaSat 5 will replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East. This new satellite with an enhanced pan Asian C-band footprint and high-power Ku-band beams over East Asia, South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable Ku beam, will provide advanced satellite services including television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks for broadband multimedia services across the Asia Pacific. The satellite is based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform, designed for a lifespan of 15 years. The station-keeping lifetime of the satellite may be even longer as a result of the performance of the ILS Proton launch vehicle. Frank McKenna, President of ILS said, "This full integration and successful launch on ILS Proton of AsiaSat 5 in less than six months was a focused team effort on behalf of ILS, Khrunichev, AsiaSat and Space Systems/Loral. This is the real value that ILS/Proton offers our customers and we are proud to have met AsiaSat's demanding business imperative for the replacement strategy of AsiaSat 2." "Launching AsiaSat 5 on ILS Proton was the best solution to meet our planned schedule for AsiaSat 2 replacement, to assure service continuity for all users on AsiaSat 2. We are most grateful for the diligence, professionalism and dedication demonstrated by ILS and Khrunichev to achieve on time delivery that is simply unmatched," said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Khrunichev AsiaSat Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
AsiaSat 5 Set For LaunchHong Kong, China (SPX) Aug 12, 2009 AsiaSat 5, a new generation communications satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), is scheduled for launch at Hong Kong Time 3:47:33 a.m. on the 12th August on an ILS Proton launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. AsiaSat 5 is a new satellite designed to replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East and to provide ... read more |
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