Launch News Launch of Proton-M/Briz-M • SES 4 : February 14/15, 2012.
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N_Molson
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Screen capture of the liftoff of Proton-M/Breeze-M - SES4
SpaceflightNow updates archive :
2000 GMT (3:00 p.m. EST)
The Breeze M upper stage and SES 4 are now in a coast period that will last until T+67 minutes, 33 seconds. That is when the stage re-ignites for an 17-minute, 44-second burn.
A third firing will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 28 minutes and last for 11 minutes. Following completion of its third burn of the mission, the Breeze M will jettison its emptied Additional Propellant Tank. The stage then restarts at T+3 hour, 41 minutes for a six-minute firing.
A final six-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 53 minutes to finish shaping the orbit.
Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is targeted to occur at T+plus 9 hours, 12 minutes, or 0448 GMT (11:48 p.m. EST).
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1956 GMT (2:56 p.m. EST)
International Launch Services reports that the first burn of Breeze M was successfully completed to put the vehicle into a preliminary parking orbit. Today's mission is going according to plan.
1951 GMT (2:51 p.m. EST)
The Breeze M upper stage did ignite to achieve a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth. This burn should last about four-and-a-half minutes in total duration.
1947 GMT (2:47 p.m. EST)
Telemetry confirms that the third stage finished firing and jettisoned, finishing the Proton M rocket's role in the ascent. The Breeze M upper stage now must perform its five burns.
1945 GMT (2:45 p.m. EST)
T+plus 9 minutes. The third stage should complete its burn in about a minute, followed by separation of the spent motor. The Breeze M and attached SES 4 spacecraft will then be on a suborbital trajectory in preparation for the first of five planned firings by the upper stage to reach geosynchronous transfer orbit over the next several hours.
1944 GMT (2:44 p.m. EST)
T+plus 8 minutes. Second stage separation has occurred and ignition of the Proton third stage has been confirmed. Also, the payload fairing enclosing the SES 4 spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.
1939 GMT (2:39 p.m. EST)
T+plus 3 minutes. The Proton continues streaking to space on the power of the second stage. Vehicle performance is reported normal.
1938 GMT (2:38 p.m. EST)
T+plus 2 minutes, 10 seconds. The six main engines on the first stage have extinguished and the spent stage just separated. Now, the four second stage engines are up and burning as planned.
1938:07 GMT (2:38:07 p.m. EST)
T+plus 90 seconds. Just over a half-minute remaining in the first stage burn. Everything is looking good with the flight.
1937:37 GMT (2:37:37 p.m. EST)
T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere.
1937:07 GMT (2:37:07 p.m. EST)
T+plus 30 seconds. The Proton rocket is performing its roll maneuver to achieve the proper launch heading for flight downrange. All six first stage liquid-fueled engines are up and burning.
1936:37 GMT (2:36:37 p.m. EST)
LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Russian Proton rocket and the SES 4 international telecommunications satellite!
1935:37 GMT (2:35:37 p.m. EST)
T-minus 60 seconds. All systems remain "go" for liftoff at the precise and instantaneous launch time a minute from now.
1934:37 GMT (2:34:37 p.m. EST)
T-minus 2 minutes. The countdown is being run by a master computer sequencer.
1931 GMT (2:31 p.m. EST)
T-minus 5 minutes. The launch readiness of the Proton core vehicle, Breeze M upper stage and SES 4 spacecraft will be verified over the next few minutes in the countdown.
1926 GMT (2:26 p.m. EST)
T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket weighs 1,554,000 pounds as it sits on the launch pad. The SES 4 spacecraft accounts for 13,625 pounds of the weight.
1924 GMT (2:24 p.m. EST)
T-minus 12 minutes and counting. At launch the Proton's six first stage engines will fire together to propel the 191-foot-tall rocket into the middle-of-the-night sky at Baikonur. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:36 a.m. local time at Baikonur.
1820 GMT (2:20 p.m. EDT)
Weather conditions are within limits for today's Proton launch. The latest report at Baikonur indicates a few clouds, good visibility, a temperature of -7 degrees F and a northeasterly winds of 7 to 9 mph.
1915 GMT (2:15 p.m. EST)
The live launch broadcast begins streaming now. Clocks continue to count toward a liftoff at 1936 GMT.
1900 GMT (2:00 p.m. EST)
Here's a look at some stats about today's mission. This will be:
373rd Proton rocket launch since 1965
70th International Launch Services Proton
53rd Proton M using a Breeze M upper stage since 2001
1st Proton of 2012
21st SS/L-made satellite on ILS Proton
20th SES satellite launch on ILS Proton
1830 GMT (1:30 p.m. EST)
Retraction of the launch pad's mobile service tower from the Proton rocket has begun as preparations continue for today's ascent of the SES 4 communications satellite.
The three-stage Proton core vehicle and Breeze M upper stage are fully fueled, a process that began about six hours before launch time. Liftoff remains scheduled for 1936 GMT (2:36 p.m. EST) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The six engines on the Proton first stage will ignite at launch to push the 19-story rocket away from Earth on two million pounds of thrust. After first stage separation two minutes into flight, four engines aboard the second stage fire for three-and-a-half minutes before shutting down and jettisoning. The Proton's third stage then comes to life for its four-minute job, during which time the protective payload fairing shielding SES 4 will separate.
The Breeze M upper stage then assumes control of the mission to conduct a series of five critical burns spread across nine hours to propel the payload into the proper orbit by tonight.
1810 GMT (1:10 p.m. EST)
The Russian State Commission met several hours ago to review the readiness for launch and granted approval to load propellants into the Proton vehicle. That fueling operation has now been completed, officials report, as the activities progress towards a 1936 GMT (2:36 p.m. EST) liftoff today.
Meanwhile, the payload team has finished topping off the SES 4 satellite's onboard battery system for the ride to orbit.
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Roscosmos:
Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
S/C separation confirmed.
Glad to see this finally left the pad. :thumbup:
Glad to see this finally left the pad. :thumbup:
Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
N_Molson
Addon Developer
Launch success !
The BreezeM performed all the burns successfully and released the satellite as planned. :thumbup: :thumbup:
SpaceFlight Now updates :
0453 GMT (11:53 p.m. EST Tues.)
LAUNCH SUCCESS! The Breeze M upper stage has accomplished its job, carrying SES 4 into geosynchronous transfer orbit and deploying the satellite tonight.
SES 4 begins a multi-decade life of serving telecommunications across the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It becomes the largest, most powerful craft in the 50-satellite fleet operated by the SES firm of Luxembourg.
"SES 4 will soon provide enhanced services to customers on four continents," said SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell.
Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 13,625 pounds, the SES 4 is a true powerhouse satellite outfitted with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Once operational in geostationary orbit above the equatorial Atlantic at 22 degrees West longitude (338 degrees East), SES 4 will replace the aging NSS 7 spacecraft originally deployed by an Ariane 4 rocket in 2002, which will slide eastward by 2 degrees and operate from that new location for its continued life.
"The 338 deg E orbital location is already a well established SES neighborhood over Africa, and SES 4 will offer our customers significantly more capacity and growth opportunities across important emerging markets," said Dolores Martos, SES vice president of sales in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The C-band beams from SES will be directed to full coverage of the Americas, plus the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, and a broad beam from the spacecraft's point-of-view will support mobile and maritime customers.
In the Ku-band frequency, the craft is equipped with four high-power, regional beams aimed at Europe, the Middle East, West Africa as well as North and South America.
SES 4 also has the capability of onboard channel switching between C- and Ku-band transponders.
"A broad range of our North America-based customers -- from broadcasting to oil and gas exploration -- are counting on SES 4 to help them expand their businesses into new regions of the world," added Steve Bunke, SES vice president of North America sales.
With the spacecraft now flying its in launch orbit, SES 4 must use its onboard engine over the next several days to reach a circular geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the planet where it can match Earth's rotation and appear fixed along the equator at 22 degrees West longitude.
Today represented the 70th commercial Proton mission under the guidance of International Launch Services and the first this year.
The next Proton rocket launch is slated for early March with the Sirius FM-6 radio broadcasting spacecraft.
0438 GMT (11:38 p.m. EST Tues.)
The final six-minute push was delivered by the Breeze M main engine while flying high over the Indian Ocean a short time ago. Standing by for spacecraft separation to complete the long launch sequence.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
2344 GMT (6:44 p.m. EST)
The upper stage and attached SES 4 satellite are currently in the midst of a five-hour coast period prior to the fifth and final firing by the Breeze M tonight.
International Launch Services reports that the third and four burns took place as planned. The maneuvers included an 11-minute firing, then a pause to jettison the now-emptied extra fuel tank, followed by a six-minute engine firing as the rocket flew over South America and the Atlantic Ocean.
Breeze M now resides in a highly inclined, highly elliptical orbit, with a targeted low point of 267 miles, a high point of 22,249 miles and inclination of 49.1 degrees relative to the equator.
One final burn remains later tonight to raise the orbit's low point to 2,308 miles and substantially reduce the inclination to 24.6 degrees.
Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is expected at 0448 GMT (11:48 p.m. EST).
The BreezeM performed all the burns successfully and released the satellite as planned. :thumbup: :thumbup:
SpaceFlight Now updates :
0453 GMT (11:53 p.m. EST Tues.)
LAUNCH SUCCESS! The Breeze M upper stage has accomplished its job, carrying SES 4 into geosynchronous transfer orbit and deploying the satellite tonight.
SES 4 begins a multi-decade life of serving telecommunications across the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It becomes the largest, most powerful craft in the 50-satellite fleet operated by the SES firm of Luxembourg.
"SES 4 will soon provide enhanced services to customers on four continents," said SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell.
Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 13,625 pounds, the SES 4 is a true powerhouse satellite outfitted with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Once operational in geostationary orbit above the equatorial Atlantic at 22 degrees West longitude (338 degrees East), SES 4 will replace the aging NSS 7 spacecraft originally deployed by an Ariane 4 rocket in 2002, which will slide eastward by 2 degrees and operate from that new location for its continued life.
"The 338 deg E orbital location is already a well established SES neighborhood over Africa, and SES 4 will offer our customers significantly more capacity and growth opportunities across important emerging markets," said Dolores Martos, SES vice president of sales in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The C-band beams from SES will be directed to full coverage of the Americas, plus the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, and a broad beam from the spacecraft's point-of-view will support mobile and maritime customers.
In the Ku-band frequency, the craft is equipped with four high-power, regional beams aimed at Europe, the Middle East, West Africa as well as North and South America.
SES 4 also has the capability of onboard channel switching between C- and Ku-band transponders.
"A broad range of our North America-based customers -- from broadcasting to oil and gas exploration -- are counting on SES 4 to help them expand their businesses into new regions of the world," added Steve Bunke, SES vice president of North America sales.
With the spacecraft now flying its in launch orbit, SES 4 must use its onboard engine over the next several days to reach a circular geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the planet where it can match Earth's rotation and appear fixed along the equator at 22 degrees West longitude.
Today represented the 70th commercial Proton mission under the guidance of International Launch Services and the first this year.
The next Proton rocket launch is slated for early March with the Sirius FM-6 radio broadcasting spacecraft.
0438 GMT (11:38 p.m. EST Tues.)
The final six-minute push was delivered by the Breeze M main engine while flying high over the Indian Ocean a short time ago. Standing by for spacecraft separation to complete the long launch sequence.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
2344 GMT (6:44 p.m. EST)
The upper stage and attached SES 4 satellite are currently in the midst of a five-hour coast period prior to the fifth and final firing by the Breeze M tonight.
International Launch Services reports that the third and four burns took place as planned. The maneuvers included an 11-minute firing, then a pause to jettison the now-emptied extra fuel tank, followed by a six-minute engine firing as the rocket flew over South America and the Atlantic Ocean.
Breeze M now resides in a highly inclined, highly elliptical orbit, with a targeted low point of 267 miles, a high point of 22,249 miles and inclination of 49.1 degrees relative to the equator.
One final burn remains later tonight to raise the orbit's low point to 2,308 miles and substantially reduce the inclination to 24.6 degrees.
Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is expected at 0448 GMT (11:48 p.m. EST).
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