Launch News Nimiq 6, Proton-M/Briz-M, May 17/18, 2012

[Cosmic Penguin]

The third launch of today will see yet another run-of-the-mill Proton launch mission to deliver another communication satellite to orbit. Today's passenger is Nimiq 6, a direct TV broadcasting satellite for Telesat of Canada.

Nimiq 6 is an all Ku-band satellite with 32 high power transponders. It will be located at 91 degrees West Longitude, where it will provide HDTV and advanced video services for Bell TV’s subscriber base. The satellite is based on SS/L’s high power LS-1300 spacecraft bus which provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications. It has a planned mission life of 15 years.

Launch location:

Baikonur Baikonur Launch pad no. 81/24 46°4'15.38"N, 62°59'5.11"E

Launch dates and times:

[table="head"]{colsp=6}Launch times

Time Zone|

Australia - Sydney/UTC+11 ​

|

Baikonur / UTC+6 ​

|

Moscow / UTC+4/ ​

|

Universal / UTC ​

|

Ottawa / EDT ​

Launch time (Primary): ​

|

06:12:14​

|

01:12:14​

|

23:12:14​

|

19:12:14​

|

15:12:14​

on: ​

|

May. 18, 2012​

|

May. 18, 2012​

|

May. 17, 2012​

|

May. 17, 2012​

|

May. 17, 2012​

{colsp=6}

[highlight][eventTimer]2012-05-17 19:12:14?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Nimiq 6 launch[/highlight]​

{colsp=6}

[eventTimer]2012-05-18 07:30:13?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Yahsat 1B Separation From the Launch Vehicle​

[/table]

Live Coverage Of The Launch:

• ILS: http://nimiq6.imgondemand.com/
• TSENKI Video Streams: http://www.tsenki.com/broadcast/broadcast/
• Khrunichev COOPI: http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=201
• Owners of PDA can watch the launch in test mode on: http://www.space-center.ru
• Vesti.ru http://www.vesti.ru/videos?vid=onair

PAYLOAD

Nimiq 6 is a direct broadcasting communications satellite serving Canada and the US.

Nimiq 6 is a Direct Broadcast Service (DBS) satellite being built for Telesat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators. Nimiq 6 is fully leased to Bell TV and will provide Direct-to-Home television service in Canada, including HDTV channels and other video content for Bell TV’s growing subscriber base. An all Ku-band satellite with 32 high-power transponders, Nimiq 6 will utilize SS/L’s flight-proven 1300 spacecraft bus and be located at 91 degrees West longitude. The satellite is scheduled for launch in 2012.

Mission Summary

[table="head"]{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter|Value

Working Orbit:​

|GEO

Orbital Location:​

|91° West

Coverage:​

|Canada, Northern US

Orbit after separation from the launcher:​

|12073 x 35786 km, Inc 10.2°
[/table]

Coverage Maps

[table="head"]Characteristics|

Nimiq 6​

Customer:​

|

• Telesat Canada

Prime contractor:​

|

• Space Systems/Loral
  

Platform:​

|

• LS-1300

Mass at Separation:​

|

• 4745 kg

Dry Mass:​

|

• ?

Dimensions (stowed):​

|

• ?

Payload:​

|

• Ku band: 32 transponders

Life time:​

|

• 15 years

|

[/table]



Launch Vehicle:

[table="head"]{colsp=2}Characteristics

|[table="head"]{colsp=2}

Proton-M / Briz-M​

Prime contractor:​

|

• Khrunichev Space Centre
  

GRAU Index:​

|

• 8K82KM

Height:​

| 58.2 m with upper stage and payload fairing

Diameter:​

| max 7.4 m

Liftoff mass:​

| 705 metric tonnes

Payload mass:​

| ~22 tonnes at LEO

1st stage:​

|

• 6 X RD-275 engines
• Empty 30.6 tonnes
• Propellants 419.41 tonnes (UDMH and NTO)
• Thrust in vacuum 1069.8 tonnes of force
• Thrust at sea level 971.4 tonnes of force

2nd stage:​

|

• 1 X RD-0211 engine 3 X RD-0210 engines
• Empty 11.4 tonnes
• Propellants 156.113 tonnes (UDMH and NTO)
• Thrust in vacuum 237.4 tonnes of force

3rd stage:​

|

• 1 X RD-0213 engine & 1 X RD-0214 vernier engine
• Empty 3.7 tonnes
• Propellants 46.562 tonnes (UDMH and NTO)
• Thrust in vacuum 59.36 (core) + 3.15 (vernier) tonnes of force

Upper Stage:​

|

• GRAU Index: 14S43
• Common Name: Briz-M
• Designer & Manufacturer: Khrunichev Space Centre
• Dimensions: Length 2.654 m, Diameter 4 m
• Empty Mass 2.2 tonnes
• Propellants 6 660 kg UDMH + 13 260 kg N2O4
• Flight time: no less than 24 hours

• Main Engine: 1 X 14D30
• Thrust in vacuum 2.0 tonnes of force
• ISP 328.6 s
• Main engine restarts: up to 8 times

• Precision Manoeuvering Engines: 4 X 11D458
• Thrust in vacuum 400 N each
• ISP 252 s

• RCS Engines: 12 X 17D58E
• Thrust in vacuum 13.3 N each
• ISP 274 s

Payload Fairing:​

|

• Diameter 4.35 m
• Length 11.6 m

[/table]
[/table]

The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2011.html#rate:

================================================================ 
Vehicle     Successes/Tries Realzd Pred  Consc. Last     Dates    
                             Rate  Rate* Succes Fail    
================================================================
Proton-M/Briz-M  51    55    .93  .91      9    08/17/11 2001-

Nimiq 6 Ascent Timeline

[TABLE="head"]Event|Time rel lift-off|Time Moscow|Time UTC|Comment
Lift-off|00:00:00|23:12:14|19:12:14|
1st/2nd Stage Separation|00:02:00|23:14:14|19:14:14|
2nd/3rd Stage Separation|00:05:27|23:17:41|19:17:41|
Payload Fairing Separation|00:05:48|23:18:02|19:18:02|
3rd Stage/Breeze M Separation|00:09:42|23:21:56|19:21:56|
1st Burn Ignition|00:11:16|23:23:30|19:23:30|
1st Burn Shutdown|00:15:42|23:27:56|19:27:56|1st Burn's Duration 00:04:26
2nd Burn Ignition|01:07:30|00:19:44|20:19:44|
2nd Burn Shutdown|01:25:16|00:37:30|20:37:30|2nd Burn's Duration 00:17:46
3rd Burn Ignition|03:28:44|02:40:58|22:40:58|
3rd Burn Shutdown|03:44:14|02:56:28|22:56:28|3rd Burn's Duration 00:15:30
APT Jettison|03:45:04|02:57:18|22:57:18|
4th Burn Ignition|03:46:31|02:58:45|22:58:45|
4th Burn Shutdown|03:48:42|03:00:56|23:00:56|4th Burn's Duration 00:02:11
5th Burn Ignition|08:50:50|08:03:04|04:03:04|
5th Burn Shutdown|09:00:46|08:13:00|04:13:00|5th Burn's Duration 00:09:56
Separation of Nimiq 6|09:14:00|08:26:14|04:26:14|in GTO
[/TABLE]

Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on May 18, 2012 (1 a.m.)

Time|Temps|Wind Chill|Heat Index|UV Index|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Clouds|Visibility|Wind|Weather
4 AM|12°C|12°C|12°C|0 Low|7°C|69%|0%|0%|0%|16KM|W 5 mph

Clear

Sunrise and Sunset times for the location of launch

Times are local.

Event|Time
Astronomical twilight begins|03:53
Nautical twilight begins|04:49
Civil twilight begins|05:35
Sunrise|06:09
Transit (sun is at its highest)|13:44
Sunset|21:19
Civil twilight ends|21:53
Nautical twilight ends|22:39
Astronomical twilight ends|23:35

References
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.tsenki.com/launch_services/help_information/launch/2011/?EID=88633
http://www.khrunichev.ru
http://tihiy.fromru.com/Rn/RN_Proton.htm
http://www.space-center.ru/ApriEvents.aspx
http://www.ssloral.com/html/satexp/nimiq6.html
http://www.telesat.com/
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Forecast.aspx
http://www.good-stuff.co.uk/suntimes/sunmap.php

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Photos and videos

The launch processing team visits a memorial on Victory Day:

 

[orb]

Launch in 30 minutes.


NASASpaceflight: ILS Proton M set to launch Nimiq 6 for Canada

Spaceflight Now: Mission Status Center

 

[Codz]

Never seen a Proton launch live before...

---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:49 PM ----------

5 minutes.

 

[N_Molson]

And BOOM ! Liftoff !

 

[Codz]

Liftoff!

 

[N_Molson]

1/2 separation !

 

[Codz]

Beautiful launch so far.

 

[N_Molson]

2/3 Separation and fairing jettison successful.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Stage 3 separation and Briz-M start!

 

[N_Molson]

Briz-M separation successful, first 4 minutes burn started on schedule.

---------- Post added at 07:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

Everything is nominal, the Briz-M tug will soon enter the tracking "shadow" zone. Burn#2 is scheduled in roughly 1 hour.

 

[Codz]

Which stream are you watching?

 

[N_Molson]

International Launch Services.

 

[Codz]

Thanks.

 

[N_Molson]

Here's a quite detailed track of the flight, by Spaceflight Now :

[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF][SIZE=+1]Canadian TV broadcast satellite soars to space[/SIZE][/FONT]
A new broadcasting spacecraft for direct-to-home satellite television customers across Canada is riding a Russian Proton rocket to orbit today. Liftoff of the 9-hour ascent occurred at 3:12 p.m. EDT (1912 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF][SIZE=-2]
[/SIZE][/FONT]

2115 GMT (5:15 p.m. EDT)
The second burn has been conducted by the Breeze M upper stage, boosting the rocket and its Nimiq 6 payload from the initial low-altitude circular parking orbit of about 107 miles at 51.5 degrees inclination.

This latest firing, lasting almost 18 minutes over the Atlantic Ocean and Africa as the vehicle was nearing completion of the first orbit, was designed to raise the altitude.

The new intermediate orbit is elliptical in nature, with a targeted low point of 168 miles, a high point of 3,107 miles and inclination of 50.3 degrees relative to the equator.

Breeze M now coasts until around 2240 GMT (6:40 p.m. EDT) when the next two burns occur back-to-back with only a brief pause in between to shed the donut-like auxiliary propellant tank.


1935 GMT (3:35 p.m. EDT)
The Breeze M upper stage and Nimiq 6 are now in a coast period that will last until T+67 minutes, 30 seconds. That is when the stage re-ignites for a 17-minute, 46-second burn.

A third firing will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 28 minutes and last for 15.5 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, 46 minutes for a two-minute firing.

A final ten-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 50 minutes to finish shaping the orbit.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is targeted to occur at T+plus 9 hours, 14 minutes, or 0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT).


1930 GMT (3:30 p.m. EDT)
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.


1924 GMT (3:24 p.m. EDT)
The Breeze M upper stage has ignited to achieve a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth. This burn should last about four-and-a-half minutes in total duration.


1923 GMT (3:23 p.m. EDT)
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.

1921 GMT (3:21 p.m. EDT)
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 Nimiq 6 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.


1920 GMT (3:20 p.m. EDT)
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 Nimiq 6 spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.


1915 GMT (3:15 p.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes. The Proton continues streaking to space on the power of the second stage. Vehicle performance is reported normal.


1914 GMT (3:14 p.m. EDT)
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.


1913 GMT (3:13 p.m. EDT)
T+plus 90 seconds. Just over a half-minute remaining in the first stage burn. Everything is looking good with the flight.


1913 GMT (3:13 p.m. EDT)
T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere.


1912 GMT (3:12 p.m. EDT)
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.


1912:14 GMT (3:12:14 p.m. EDT)
LIFTOFF! Liftoff of Proton and the Nimiq 6 spacecraft, broadcasting television directly to homes across Canada!


1911:14 GMT (3:11:14 p.m. EDT)
T-minus 60 seconds. All systems remain "go" for liftoff at the precise and instantaneous launch time a minute from now.


1910 GMT (3:10 p.m. EDT)
T-minus 2 minutes. The countdown is being run by a master computer sequencer.


1907 GMT (3:07 p.m. EDT)
T-minus 5 minutes. The launch readiness of the Proton core vehicle, Breeze M upper stage and Nimiq 6 spacecraft will be verified over the next few minutes in the countdown.


1902 GMT (3:02 p.m. EDT)
T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket weighs 1,554,000 pounds as it sits on the launch pad. The Nimiq 6 spacecraft accounts for about 9,900 pounds of the weight.

 

[orb]

Videos of the launch

From Tsenki feed (no sound):

From ILS feed:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Launch success confirmed!

ILS PROTON SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES TELESAT'S NIMIQ 6 SATELLITE
NIMIQ 6 LAUNCH MARKS THE 5TH PROTON LAUNCH IN 93 DAYS
BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, May 18, 2012 – International Launch Services (ILS), a world leader in providing mission and launch services to the commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the Nimiq 6 satellite into the planned orbit today on an ILS Proton for Telesat, a leading global fixed satellite services operator headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.

The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:12 a.m. today local time (19:12 GMT, 3:12 p.m. EDT, on May 17). After a 9 hour 14 minute 5-burn mission, the Breeze M successfully released the satellite, weighing approximately 4.5 metric tons, into the planned geostationary transfer orbit. This was the 377th launch for the Proton vehicle since its inaugural flight in 1965 and the 73rd ILS Proton launch. The launch of the Nimiq 6 satellite was the 5th Proton launch in the past 93 days.
Telesat’s Nimiq 6 satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) using the flight proven SS/L 1300 platform. Nimiq 6 has 32 high powered Ku-band transponders that will provide coverage to Canada from its orbital location of 91.1° West longitude. Telesat’s Nimiq fleet is comprised of direct broadcast satellites utilized by Telesat’s customers to provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television services to consumers in North America.
ILS President Frank McKenna said, “With the ILS Proton launch of Nimiq 6, ILS Proton has launched all of the Nimiq series satellites built for Telesat. This is an accomplishment we are very proud of and reflects a level of confidence and trust by Telesat in the performance of the ILS Proton vehicle. Our strong relationship with Telesat spans over 12 years and 8 satellites launched to date. We thank the collective mission teams of ILS, Khrunichev, Telesat and Space Systems/Loral for their outstanding work on the Nimiq 6 launch and look forward to the ILS Proton launch of Anik G1 later this year. ”
“Launching our satellites on schedule is of great value to Telesat,” said President and CEO of Telesat, Dan Goldberg. “With the successful ILS Proton launch of the Nimiq 6 satellite we are meeting demand for additional high-powered Ku-band capacity for DTH services. Nimiq 6 joins our existing Nimiq fleet and will provide Bell TV with improved performance to deliver the very latest video services for their subscriber base across Canada. The ILS, Khrunichev, Telesat and Space Systems/Loral teams are to be commended for another mission well-executed.”

 

[SiberianTiger]

The official launch video for those who, like me, have slept through it: