2nd ILS Proton Launch of 2007

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2nd ILS Proton Launch of 2007

See also: First ILS Proton Launch of 2007


The Khrunichev State Research And Production Space Centre press release is reproduced below:

06.06.2007 American Telecommunications Satellite Arrives in Baikonur.

Russian Proton Breeze M Launch Vehicle Prepares to Launch the Heaviest Ever DIRECTV's Satellite.

DIRECTV 10 multipurpose telecommunications spacecraft arrived at the Yubileiny airport of the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, early this morning, 06 June.

The spacecraft and all the equipment needed for ground operations to prepare the spacecraft for launch, was carried by an Antonov 124 "Ruslan" cargo plane operated by Russian "Polet" carrier.

On the same day the spacecraft will be transported by rail to the state of the art processing center ( Bld. 92A -50 "MIK") where an industrial team from the spacecraft manufacturer, Boeing, will conduct autonomous checking and tests of all DIRECTV 10 systems.

DIRECTV10 is a commercial civil multipurpose communications satellite designed to provide DIRECTV Inc. customers unprecedented local and national High Definition Television (HDTV) throughout continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. An industry leader, US based DIRECTV, Inc. delivers satellite based TV services to over than 15 million US customers in homes and businesses.

The next generation DIRECTV spacecraft, built on Boeing 702 bus, will be among the world's heaviest geostationary satellites. Its launch mass is over 5800 kg. The satellite projected life span is 15 years.

DIRECTV 10 features state of the art antenna and payload subsystems. The powerful payload integrates 32 active and 12 spare National Service Ka- band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTAs) in addition to 55 active and 15 spare spot beam TWTAs. The payload is powered by a massive solar array that spans more than 48 meters consisting of ultra triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells.

DIRECTV 10 will receive and transmit programming throughout the United States with two imposing Ka-band reflectors, each measuring 2.8 meters in diameter, and nine other Ka band reflectors.

The Khrunichev built Proton Breeze M heavy class carrier rocket, which will be used for the DIRECTV commercial mission scheduled in July, arrived at its launch site and started its pre-launch preparations earlier. The Khrunichev engineers are conducting routine assembly and test operations with the rocket in the same vehicle assembly building.

ILS-International Launch Services, Inc.will provide launch services on the Proton Breeze M rocket.

ILS is a joint venture of Space Transport Inc., Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC Energia of Moscow. ILS is incorporated in Delaware in the U.S. and is headquartered in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Set up in 1995, ILS Provides sales, marketing and mission management for Proton launches to customers around the world. Since 1996, ILS has conducted 40 commercial missions with the Proton vehicle (out of these, 26 launches on Proton K and 14 launches on Proton M).

KhSC - Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center is the Moscow-based designer and manufacturer of the Proton vehicle family. With over than 90 years experience in aerospace technologies, KhSC is a pillar in Russian space industry and one of the world's major manufacturer of space launch systems and heavy orbital modules.

Source: Khrunichev Press Release Edited June 14, 2007 by Waspie_Dwarf

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The Khrunichev State Research And Production Space Centre press release is reproduced below:

Baikonur Cosmodrome: Proton M Prepares for Its July Launch with DIRECTV 10.

13.06.2007 At Baikonur autonomous tests are being carried out on the spacecraft, Breeze M upper stage, payload adapter system and payload fairing to prepare them for integration with each other that will make Space Head Unit (Module) of the Proton M space launch vehicle.

Early this morning the foreign technical team led by the spacecraft manufacturer, the Boeing, started up fueling operations of the spacecraft in a clean room (Hall 103A). The operations will last within the next few days. Tests with the spacecraft fully fueled will then be conducted next. On completion the tests, the spacecraft will be installed in another clean room (Hall 101) of the MIK, where the integration of the Space Head Unit will be performed.

Khrunichev engineers are conducting independent pre –launch preparation of Khrunichev –made Breeze M upper stage and payload adapter system (PAS). A new Khrunichev –developed PAS will be used to support the DIRECTV 10 mission. These operations includes series of mechanical and electrical tests of the separation system, PAS + spacecraft simulator stack, PAS + upper stage stack, and mounting separation system on the PAS. After these operations, the Breeze M upper stage will be also fuelled and readied for transfer into the same Hall 111.

In parallel, Russian team are performing routing assembly and testing operations on 1-3 stages of the Proton M rocket.

The current schedule calls for autonomous testing of the key components of the Proton space launch vehicle to be accomplished by the 20ies June. Next, the DIRECTV 10 launch campaign will enter a new phase focused on combined operations on Space Head Unit integration.

The launch of Proton M with DIRECTV 10 telecommunications spacecraft is scheduled for 7 July and will be performed under auspices of ILS International Launch Services Inc.

ILS is a joint US–Russian venture between Space Transport Inc. and its Russian partners - Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC Energia. Formed in 1995, ILS provides a full range of launch services on Russia’s premier launch vehicle Proton for customers worldwide. ILS has already performed 40 Proton missions and worked with all global satellite operators.

Source: Khrunichev Press Release

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The International Launch Services press release is reproduced below:

Media Advisory: ILS Proton to Launch DIRECTV 10

Payload: DIRECTV 10, Boeing 702 platform

Separated Mass:Approx. 5,893 kg (12,992 lbs)

Launch Vehicle: Proton M/Breeze M

Weight at liftoff: 691,272 kg (1.5 million lbs),including payload

Height: 56.2 m (184 ft)

Launch Date: Saturday, July 7, 2007

Launch Window Opens: 7:16 a.m. Baikonur; 1:16 GMT; 9:16 p.m. Friday, July 6 EDT; 6:16 p.m. Friday, July 6 PDT

Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan; Launch Pad 39

End User: DIRECTV, Inc., leading U.S. direct-to-home entertainment provider, El Segundo, Calif.

Satellite Manufacturer: The Boeing Co., El Segundo, Calif.

Launch Vehicle

Manufacturer: Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Moscow

Launch Services

Provider: International Launch Services (ILS), McLean, Va.

Satellite Use:National and local high-definition DIRECTV services

Satellite Statistics:

• 3rd DIRECTV satellite launched by ILS on Proton
• Orbital location: 102.8 degrees West longitude
• 131 Ka-band transponders for national and spot beams
• 48-meter gallium-arsenide solar array
• Anticipated service life of 15 years

Mission Profile: TThe Proton launch vehicle will inject the DIRECTV 10 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The first three stages will use a standard ascent trajectory to place the Breeze M upper 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 mi), inclined at 48 degrees. Then the Breeze M will ignite four more times to propel the satellite to its target geosynchronous transfer orbit of 35,786 km x 4,901 km (22,236 mi x 3,045 mi), inclined at 21.4 degrees. 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 36,000 km (22,300 mi).

Spacecraft Separation: Approximately 9 hours, 8 minutes, 40 seconds after liftoff

ILS Mission Statistics:

• 2nd ILS mission this year
• 326th Proton mission overall
• 41st ILS mission on Proton

Live Broadcast

in North America: Intelsat Galaxy G26C,93 degrees West, Transponder 9, C-band analog NTSC, 36 MHz bandwidth, downlink 3880 MHz (vertical). Test signals and broadcast start at around 8:30 p.m. EDT. ILS will begin the broadcast/webcast about 8:55 p.m. EDT. DIRECTV customers can view the launch on channel 570.

More Information: Live webcast and general mission information will be 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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Source: ILS News Release

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The Khrunichev State Research And Production Space Centre press release is reproduced below:

03.07.2007 Russian Proton M Booster Rocket With DIRECTV 10 Satellite Installed on Baikonur Launch Pad.

The operation readiness review was held yesterday at Baikonur with participating of all the representatives of Russian and foreign entities involved in the Proton Breeze M -DIRECTV 10 launch campaign. On the same day, the meeting was followed by Russian State Commission comprising Russian space officials, met at 6 p.m. to certify the readiness of the integrated space rocket Proton Breeze M with DIRECTV 10 to be rolled out from Assembly and Test Building to the launch pad. The Commission gave a go –ahead to the roll –out operations.

According to the launch schedule these operations began today at 06:30 a.m. (Baikonur local time). The rocket has already be erected vertically on the pad.

Within the following couple of days the Russian technical team and their colleges from Boeing (the manufacturer of DIRECTV10 spacecraft) will perform the joint operations with the rocket at the launch pad.

The State Commission will meet again on Friday, 6 July, at 10 p.m. (Baikonur local time) to certify the readiness of the Proton Breeze M vehicle and flight control team for the launch.

The launch is currently scheduled at 7:16 a.m. (local Baikonur time) on July 7, 9:16 p.m. Friday, July 6 ( EDT).

DIRECTV 10 mission will be the debut of the Enhanced Proton Breeze M, which is capable of launching spacecraft over 6,000 kg into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

To lift DIRECTV 10 – the heaviest ever and most powerful DIRECTV’s satellite, having separated mass approximately 5,893 kg – Khrunichev (the manufacturer of Proton Breeze M launch vehicle) has designed and implemented a series of improvements to the Proton to maximize its rocket lift capacity. By 2009, these improvements will become the baseline configuration for all Proton rockets for both commercial launches and Russian government missions.

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which was created from the merger of the Khrunichev Machine-building Plant and the Salyut Design Bureau 14 years ago, has become a pillar of Russia's space industry. Khrunichev has its headquarters in Moscow, and includes among its branches a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation.

The launch will be performed under auspices of ILS- International Launch Services Inc. ILS is a joint venture of Space Transport Inc., Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Moscow and RSC Energia of Moscow. ILS is incorporated in Delaware in the United States, and is headquartered in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Source: Khrunichev Press Release

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The Khrunichev State Research And Production Space Centre press release is reproduced below:

06.07.2007 At Baikonur Proton-M/Breeze-M Readied To Launch DIRECTV 10

At Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, the State Commission will meet today, 6 July, at 10 p.m. (Baikonur local time) to certify the readiness of the Proton Breeze M vehicle and flight control team for the launch.

The launch is currently scheduled at 7:16 a.m. (local Baikonur time) on July 7, 9:16 p.m. Friday, July 6 ( EDT).

DIRECTV 10 mission will be the debut of the Enhanced Proton Breeze M, which is capable of launching spacecraft over 6,000 kg into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Before the launch, Russian Orthodox priests blessed the rocket and the cosmodrome technicians today, at 12:00 a.m.

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which was created from the merger of the Khrunichev Machine-building Plant and the Salyut Design Bureau 14 years ago, has become a pillar of Russia's space industry. Khrunichev has its headquarters in Moscow, and includes among its branches a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation.

The launch will be performed under auspices of ILS- International Launch Services Inc. ILS is a joint venture of Space Transport Inc., Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Moscow and RSC Energia of Moscow. ILS is incorporated in Delaware in the United States, and is headquartered in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Source: Khrunichev Press Release

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The International Launch Services press release is reproduced below:

ILS Proton Successfully Launches DIRECTV 10

1st Enhanced Mission Demonstrates Rocket Updates

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, July 7, 2007 -International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched the DIRECTV 10 satellite today using an enhanced version of Russia's premier vehicle, the Proton.

The Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off at 7:16 a.m. today local time (9:16 p.m. Friday EDT, 01:16 today GMT) from the Cosmodrome's Pad 39. The mission lasted 9 hours and 8 minutes, before the Breeze M upper stage placed the DIRECTV 10 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. After about two months of in-orbit testing, the satellite will move to its operating position of 102.8 degrees West longitude to enhance DIRECTV's high-definition services across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

"We're proud of the excellent performance of our Enhanced Proton Breeze M and its demonstrated ability to lift such a massive payload as the DIRECTV 10 satellite," said ILS President Frank McKenna. "At around 6 metric tons, this Boeing 702 model was the heaviest spacecraft launch for Proton."

McKenna continued: "Not only are we proud of the vehicle's performance, we're also proud of our schedule performance. We met our commitment to launch the satellite in order to support DIRECTV's goal of delivering up to 100 national HDTV channels by the end of the year."

This was the 41st mission for ILS, which is an American-based joint venture of Space Transport Inc. and Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, manufacturer of the Proton vehicle.

The Proton enhancements demonstrated with this launch culminate two years of research, development and testing by Khrunichev, one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. While the primary purpose was to meet the requirements of ILS commercial customers and their larger satellites, the enhanced vehicle will ultimately be used for Russian federal missions as well.

Modern design tools allowed Khrunichev to fine-tune such things as fuel tanks, and redesign them to remove mass while maintaining safety margins. Lighter materials were used between the rocket's stages, and graphite epoxy sections replaced metal interstage adapters. Additionally, the Breeze M reaction control system (RCS) has been improved. As part of this, the RCS fuel tanks were reduced in number from six to only two. "Reducing the number of parts and manufacturing one standardized version of the vehicle inherently improves reliability," McKenna said.

This was the third DIRECTV satellite launched on a Proton vehicle. DIRECTV 8 was launched on May 22, 2005, and DIRECTV 5 was carried to orbit May 7, 2002.

ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle worldwide to commercial satellite operators. As of the first half of this year, the company brought in more than $1 billion in new business and has a backlog of 20 missions.

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Source: ILS News Release

Edited February 10, 2008 by Waspie_Dwarf
corrected typo.

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Boeing-Built DIRECTV 10 Satellite Delivers First Signals from Space

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, July 07, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today confirmed that the DIRECTV 10 satellite has sent its first on-orbit signals to the Boeing Mission Control Center in El Segundo, Calif., indicating that the satellite is healthy and operating normally.

An International Launch Services Proton Breeze M vehicle launched the satellite yesterday at 9:16 p.m. EDT (1:16 GMT July 7) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, reported spacecraft acquisition 9 hours, 49 minutes later.

Boeing's advanced telecommunications technology aboard the 702 model satellite will expand DIRECTV's national and local high-definition services across the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska.

"This is the eighth satellite we've delivered for DIRECTV, which will provide unprecedented local and national high-definition television to DIRECTV customers," said Howard Chambers, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "We've provided DIRECTV satellites since 1993, and we look forward to completing the on-orbit maneuvers and tests of this newest spacecraft. Once on-orbit testing is complete, we'll hand over the satellite to DIRECTV, and they can put it into service for the 16 million DIRECTV customers who recognize the value of this space-based broadcasting system."

DIRECTV 10, one of three next-generation satellites Boeing is building for DIRECTV, features state-of-the-art antenna and payload subsystems and a 48-meter solar array, resulting in 18,000 watts of spacecraft power.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.

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Source: Boeing press release