more goodies coming our way @42°e.
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ILS PROTON
SUCCESSFULLY
LAUNCHES TURKSAT-4A
FOR TURKSAT
FIRST PROTON LAUNCH
OF THE YEAR; 85TH ILS
PROTON LAUNCH
OVERALL
For Mission Control, please click
here
BAIKONUR COSMODROME,
Kazakhstan, February 15, 2014
International Launch Services (ILS), a
leader in providing mission
integration and launch services to
the global commercial satellite
industry, successfully launched the
TURKSAT-4A satellite into orbit today
on an ILS Proton vehicle. The
satellite was built by Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation for TURKSAT
Satellite Communication, Cable TV
and Operation Inc. Co. (TURKSAT
A.S.), one of the worlds leading
operators in the satellite
communication business. This was
the first ILS Proton launch for both
the satellite operator and the
manufacturer; it was also the first
Proton launch of the year.
The ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle
launched from Pad 24 at the
Baikonur Cosmodrome at 03:09 today
local time (14 February: 21:09 GMT
and 16:09 EST). The first three
stages of the Proton used a standard
ascent profile to place the orbital
unit (Breeze M upper stage and the
TURKSAT-4A satellite) into a sub-
orbital trajectory. From this point in
the mission, the Breeze M performed
planned mission maneuvers to
advance the orbital unit first to a
circular parking orbit, then to an
intermediate orbit, followed by a
transfer orbit, and finally to a
geostationary transfer orbit.
Separation of the TURKSAT-4A
satellite occurred approximately 9
hours and 13 minutes after liftoff.
TURKSAT-4A will provide
telecommunication and direct TV
broadcasting services over a wide
geographic region between west of
China and east of England, spanning
Turkey, as well as Europe, Central
Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
TURKSAT-4A is a multi-band
satellite with an expected on-orbit
maneuver lifespan of 30 years. The
satellite will provide high flexibility
of switchability and connectivity
among different service areas to its
customers.
The satellite weighed 4.8 metric tons
at liftoff and is the ninth satellite
built on Mitsubishi Electrics DS2000
platform, a fully proven modular
platform with the flexibility to
handle a broad range of payload
applications.
ILS President Phil Slack stated, This
is the first ILS Proton launch for our
partners, Mitsubishi Electric and
TURKSAT, and we are happy to have
such a strong foundation for our new
relationship. We are honored to be
entrusted to deliver our customers
satellites to orbit. Thank you to all of
the teams at Mitsubishi Electric,
TURKSAT, Khrunichev, and ILS, who
have made this launch a success.
Ozkan Dalbay, TURKSAT A.S. CEO
and Chairman of the Board, said,
The TURKSAT-4A satellite will
increase coverage and enhance
customer services across Turkey as
well as through areas of Europe,
Central Asia, the Middle East and
Africa. Today's launch is a
significant milestone that
strengthens our ties with both ILS
and Khrunichev. Thank you to
everyone involved in the success of
this launch.
Mitsubishi Electric General Manager
of Space Systems Division, Yasunori
Kamochi added, We appreciate that
through ILS conscientious efforts,
they conducted a flawless mission
leading to the successful launch of
TURKSAT 4A, our first Proton
launch. We are certain that ILS
assurance in quality and scheduling
will allow our customer to engage its
satellite mission in a timely manner.
We would like to thank everyone
involved with the TURKSAT-4A
launch for their diligence and
outstanding capabilities.
This was the 85th ILS Proton Launch
and the 394th launch for Proton
overall since its maiden flight in
1965. The Proton Breeze M vehicle is
developed and built by Khrunichev
Research and Production Space
Center of Moscow, Russias premier
space industry manufacturer and
majority shareholder in ILS.
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Türksat 4A - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
