Launch News Proton-M/Briz-M launch with Satmex-8, March 26/27, 2013

[Notebook]

Уважаемые господа!

Пуск РКН Протон-M - Бриз-М с КА «Satmex-8» планируется провести с космодрома Байконур 26.03.2013 в 19 час. 06 мин. 48 сек. UTC (26.03.2013 23 час. 06 мин. 48 сек. московского времени).
Начало трансляции за 30 минут до старта.
Трансляция в реальном масштабе времени будет проходить по адресу:
http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=201
без пароля.
Владельцы портативных устройств могут следить в тестовом режиме за запуском на
http://www.space-center.ru .</SPAN>

Наилучшие пожелания,
[email protected]. </SPAN>


Dear Sirs!

The Proton-M - Breeze-M launch vehicle with the «Satmex-8» satellite on board is scheduled to be launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 26.03.2013 at 19 h 06 m 48 s UTC (26.03.2013 23 h 06 m 48 s Moscow Local Time).
Real time broadcast of the launch will be available from 30 minutes before start on the Khrunichev Space Center web site:
http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=201
without password.

Owners of the portable device can watch the launch in test mode on
http://www.space-center.ru .

Best regards,
[email protected]

Dear moderators, did a search for this, found nothing, if I've misssed an earlier please delete or merge.

N.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Last time it leaps into space, I called it the Silver Hypergolic Monster(TM) - and failed right before the finish line. But that was three months ago, and the monster has seen quite a bit of injuries and bruises since its birth in the mid-1960s, and there's not much doubt that it can rise again, or at least within those that operates these creatures.

And right just in time too - this launch is carrying a much needed satellite for a Mexican satellite communication operator. Satmex-8 is replacing a 15 year old satellite that is reported to be running out of fuel only two months from now! With 4 failures in just 2 years and 22 launches, this really is the make or break moment - another miss and the Proton operators are risking another exodus of customers. So as with the Dragon, let's see what happens today.... :shifty:

This is the 1st commercial mission of the year for ILS and the 78th ILS Proton mission since the Proton April 1996 first commercial flight.

This is the 1st SATMEX satellite launched with Proton and the 25th Space Systems/Loral-built satellite launched on Proton.

Launch location:

Baikonur Launch pad no. 200/39 46° 2'23.85"N, 63° 1'54.98"E

Launch dates and times:

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

Time Zone|

Baikonur / UTC+6 ​

|

Moscow / UTC+4 ​

|

Universal / UTC ​

|

Washington / EDT ​

|

Los Angeles / PDT ​

Launch time (Primary): ​

|

01:06:48​

|

23:06:48​

|

19:06:48​

|

15:06:48​

|

12:06:48​

on: ​

|

Mar. 27, 2013​

|

Mar. 26, 2013​

|

Mar. 26, 2013​

|

Mar. 26, 2013​

|

Mar. 26, 2013​

{colsp=6}

[highlight][eventTimer]2013-03-26 19:06:48?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Satmex-8 Launch[/highlight]​

[/table]

Live Coverage Of The Launch:

• International Launch Services: http://satmex8.imgondemand.com// (begins at 20 minutes before lift-off)
• TSENKI Video Streams: http://www.tv-tsenki.com/livechoose.php
• Khrunichev COOPI (login: ? password: ?): http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=200
• Owners of PDA can watch the launch in test mode on: http://www.space-center.ru

PAYLOAD

Satmex-8 communication satellite:

Mission Summary

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) announced in May 2010 that it has been selected to provide a satellite for Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. Satmex 8 is a high-power C and Ku-band satellite that replaces Satmex 5 and will provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in both North and South America.

The new satellite will augment the current Satmex fleet in providing services such as broadband, voice and data transmission, and video broadcasting. Satmex 8 is a 24 C and 40 Ku-band transponders satellite and it is being designed to be located at 114.9 degrees West. Satmex 8 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.

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

Working Orbit:​

|GEO

Orbital Location:​

|116.8° West

Coverage:​

|USA, Central/South America

ApA at separation:​

|35786 km

PeA at separation:​

|6159 km

Inc at separation:​

|18.38°
[/table]

[table="head"]Characteristics|

Satmex-8​

Customer:​

|

• Satmex
  
  

Prime contractor:​

|

• Space Systems/Loral
  
  

Platform:​

|

• LS-1300

Mass at Separation:​

|

• 5474 kg

Dry Mass:​

|

• ~2300 kg

Stabilization:​

|

• 3 axis stabilized

Dimensions (stowed):​

|

• ?

Batteries:​

|

• ?

Payload:​

|

• 24 C-band transponders
• 40 Ku-band transponders

Life time:​

|

• 15 years

Coverage:​

|

• 

|

[/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/log2012.html#rate:

================================================================ 
Vehicle     Successes/Tries Realzd Pred  Consc. Last     Dates    
                             Rate  Rate* Succes Fail    
================================================================
Proton-M/Briz-M  56    62    .90  .89      0    12/08/12 2001-

Satmex-8 Ascent Profile

The Proton-M first three stages place the orbital unit (OU), which consists of a Breeze-M upper stage, adapter system and Satmex-8, into a 51.5° inclination suborbital trajectory.

Proton-M powered flight lasts 582 seconds. The OU powered flight begins at the moment of the third stage separation.

Immediately after the separation of the third stage booster, the Breeze-M stability engines start, damping the angular velocities of the third stage separation and then providing orbital unit orientation and stability during coast flight along a suborbital trajectory to await the first burn. The upper stage follows a four-burn injection profile.

Satmex-8 Ascent Timeline

[TABLE="head"]Event|Time rel lift-off|Time UTC|Comment
Ignition Start Sequence|-00:00:02.5|19:06:45.5|
Stage 1 Ignition (40% thrust)|-00:00:01.75|19:06:46.25|
Command Stage 1 (100% thrust)|-00:00:00.9|19:06:47.1|
Maximum Dynamic Pressure|00:01:02|19:07:50|
1st/2nd Stage Separation|00:02:00|19:08:48|
2nd/3rd Stage Separation|00:05:27|19:12:15|
Payload Fairing Separation|00:05:47|19:12:35|
3rd Stage/Breeze M Separation|00:09:42|19:16:30|
1st Burn Ignition|00:11:46|19:18:34|
1st Burn Shutdown|00:16:13|19:23:01|1st Burn's Duration 00:04:27
2nd Burn Ignition|01:07:33|20:14:21|
2nd Burn Shutdown|01:25:19|20:32:07|2nd Burn's Duration 00:17:46
3rd Burn Ignition|03:28:30|22:35:18|
3rd Burn Shutdown|03:41:29|22:48:17|3rd Burn's Duration 00:12:59
APT Jettison|03:42:19|22:49:07|
4th Burn Ignition|03:43:46|22:50:34|
4th Burn Shutdown|03:48:17|22:55:05|4th Burn's Duration 00:04:31
5th Burn Ignition|08:51:35|03:58:23|
5th Burn Shutdown|08:59:06|04:05:54|5th Burn's Duration 00:07:31
Spacecraft Separation|09:13:00|04:19:48|
[/TABLE]

Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 27, 2013 (1 a.m.)

Partly cloudy in the evening, then clear. Low of 3C. Breezy. Winds from the South at 10 to 20 km/h.

Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
2 AM|8°C|-7°C|33%|0%|0%|0%|1020 hPa|18 km/h S|

Clear

References
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.khrunichev.ru
http://www.ilslaunch.com
http://tihiy.fromru.com/Rn/RN_Proton.htm
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/satmex-8.htm
www.satmex.com
http://ssloral.com/html/pressreleases/pr20121129.html
http://www.tsenki.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://english.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=44.84999847,65.50000000

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

 

[N_Molson]

Hehe who said the Proton was a toxic launcher ? It doesn't seem to bother a lot the local prairie dogs

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Hehe who said the Proton was a toxic launcher ? It doesn't seem to bother a lot the local prairie dogs

Actually they are moles - and they LOVE watching rocket launches! :rofl:

From the other active Proton launch pad last year:

 

[N_Molson]

Of course they do, they have their own bunkers to escape the blast ! And I'm sure they love to feel the earth tremor around them They seem a bit territorial against cameras, though !

 

[orb]

Actually they are moles

Rather (yellow) ground squirrels than moles.

 

[N_Molson]

Whatever they are, their fur match perfectly the ground color. :yes:

 

[Notebook]

every mole has its day:

http://moleday.org/

Not ground squirells though.

N.

 

[N_Molson]

100 minutes to go.

 

[Notebook]

Not long now, though the video feed is playing it close,

N.

 

[N_Molson]

Liftoff successful, mission in nominal progress (according to ILS feed). :thumbup:

March 26, 2013 3:13 pm (GMT)
ILS Communications Team

We have liftoff of the Proton M Breeze M rocket and the Satmex 8 satellite.

---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 PM ----------

Breeze-M stage successfully separated. (ILS)

March 26, 2013 3:20 pm (GMT)
ILS Communications Team

We had a successful liftoof about 15 minutes ago of the ILS Proton M Breeze M rocket, which is carrying the Satmex 8 satellite onboard. The three stages of the proton vehicle have performed as planned, and it is up to the Breeze M upper stage to complete the mission. The upper stage has begun its first burn, whcih is scheduled to last around 4 minutes.

Here's a good link to follow the mission status :

http://www.ilslaunch.com/mission-control/mission-satmex8

---------- Post added at 10:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------

SATMEX 8 | Second Burn Completion

March 26, 2013 4:38 pm (GMT)
ILS Communications Team

As the Breeze M upper stage of our Proton M rocket continues its climb into space with the Satmex 8 satellite onboard, we have received confirmation that the 2nd burn of the upper stage occurred and shut down as scheduled.

The next events are scheduled for about 2 hours from now. The Breeze M upper stage will ignite for a 3rd time and burn for approximately 15 minutes; after that the additional propellant tank will be jettisoned, and the 4th burn will start and complete. All this will happen in a span of almost 20 minutes while the vehicle is again out of range of a ground station. We should reacquire the vehicle shortly after the 4th burn ends.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Breeze M did its 3rd and 4th burns (as well as separating the outer fuel tank) without issue - 1 more burn to go!

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

:thumbup:

ILS PROTON SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SATMEX 8 SATELLITE FOR SATMEX

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, March 27, 2013 – International Launch Services (ILS), a leader in providing mission integration and launch services to the global commercial satellite industry, today announced that it has successfully carried the Satmex 8 satellite into orbit on an ILS Proton launch vehicle for Satélites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (Satmex) of Mexico City, Mexico.

The ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle launched from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 01:07 today local time (19:07 GMT and 15:07 EDT on March 26). Utilizing a standard 5-burn Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) mission design, the Breeze M successfully released the Satmex 8 satellite into orbit 9 hours and 13 minutes after launch. The satellite, built on the flight-proven 1300 platform, weighed nearly 5.5 metric tons at liftoff and was the 25th Space Systems/Loral (SSL) satellite launched on an ILS Proton rocket. This was also the first Satmex satellite launched by ILS and the first ILS Proton launch of the year.

Satmex 8 will replace Satmex 5 and will provide enhanced performance and capacity in North, Central and South America at 116.8 west longitude. This new high-power, fixed service satellite has 24 C- and 40 Ku-band transponders, and will improve the current continental and regional services for video contribution and distribution, broadband, cellular backhaul and distance learning.

Satmex 8 adds 45% of total capacity over Satmex 5 which translates to 94% of increased capacity on Ku band to fulfill the growing demand for satellite services in the Americas.

This was the 384th launch for Proton since its maiden flight in 1965 and the 78th ILS Proton launch. The Proton Breeze M vehicle was developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, Russia’s premier space industry manufacturer and majority shareholder in ILS.

“We want to thank Satmex for entrusting us with the launch of the Satmex 8 satellite. We also want to express our sincere appreciation for the ILS, Khrunichev, Satmex, and SSL teams for their tireless work in ensuring the mission’s success,” said ILS President Phil Slack.

Satmex President and CEO Patricio Northland added, “We are delighted with the successful ILS Proton launch and orbit of Satmex 8, the latest satellite in our expanding fleet. Satmex offers fixed satellite transmission services to more than 90% of the population in the Americas, and this important addition will provide enhanced performance and capacity to our coverage areas. It also positions us well for future launches of advanced models that will mark step-change expansions in our capabilities. Our sincere gratitude goes to all those who played a role in building and orbiting the Satmex 8 satellite.”

 

[N_Molson]

Very nice, Proton badly needed that one ! :thumbup:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]