Proton successfully launches coms sat

[Waspie_Dwarf]

ILS PROTON SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SES-5 FOR SES

SES-5 HOSTS FIRST L-BAND PAYLOAD FOR EUROPEAN GEOSTATIONARY NAVIGATION OVERLAY SERVICE (EGNOS)

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, July 10, 2012– International Launch Services (ILS), a leading launch services provider for the global commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the SES-5 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit today on an ILS Proton for SES of Luxembourg (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG). This was the 21th SES satellite launched on ILS Proton, the 23rd launch of a Space Systems/Loral satellite, and the 74th ILS Proton launch overall.

The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 24 at the Cosmodrome at 12:38 a.m. today local time (2:38 p.m. EDT, 18:38 GMT on July 9). The first three stages of the ILS Proton vehicle used a standard ascent profile to place the orbital unit (Breeze M upper stage and the SES-5 satellite) into a sub-orbital trajectory. The Breeze M then performed planned mission maneuvers to advance the orbital unit first to a circular parking orbit, then into intermediate orbit, followed by a transfer orbit, and finally to a geostationary transfer orbit. Successful separation of the SES-5 satellite occurred exactly 9 hours, 12 minutes after liftoff.

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