Launch News QuetzSat-1, Proton-M/Briz-M, September 29/30, 2011

[Cosmic Penguin]

The first commercial flight of the Proton rocket since the mid-August failure will take place later today. The Proton-M/Briz-M rocket will launch the QuetzSat-1 satellite for SES S.A. of Luxembourg.

QuetzSat-1, part of the 45+ satellite fleet of SES, will be located at the 77 degree west orbital location at which the Mexican Government has granted the DTH frequency rights to QuetzSat S. de R.L. de C.V., a Mexican-controlled company comprised of SES and Mexican investors. The spacecraft will provide coverage over Mexico, North America and Central America. The spacecraft is fully contracted to EchoStar Corporation and will be used in part by Dish Mexico, an EchoStar joint venture, for DTH services in Mexico and to a subsidiary of DISH Network for use in connection with its U.S. DTH business.

The QuetzSat-1 mission will be the 5th Proton launch of 2011 and the 368th Proton flight overall.

This will be the third commercial mission of the year for ILS and the 67th ILS Proton mission since the Proton April 1996 first commercial flight.

This will also be the 19th SES satellite launched with Proton. In addition, the QuetzSat-1 will be the 18th Space Systems/Loral 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:

{colsp=6}Launch times

Time Zone |

Baikonur / UTC+6 ​

|

Luxembourg / CEST ​

|

Universal / UTC ​

|

Washington / EDT ​

|

Los Angeles / PDT ​

Launch time (Primary): ​

|

00:32:00​

|

20:32:00​

|

18:32:00​

|

14:32:00​

|

11:32:00​

on: ​

|

Sep. 30, 2011​

|

Sep. 29, 2011​

|

Sep. 29, 2011​

|

Sep. 29, 2011​

|

Sep. 29, 2011​

{colsp=6}

[highlight][eventTimer]2011-09-29 18:32:00?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] QuetzSat-1 Launch[/highlight]​

Live Coverage Of The Launch:

• International Launch Services: http://quetzsat1.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

QuetzSat-1 communication satellite:

Mission Summary

Procured by SES, QuetzSat-1 is a high-power communications satellite with coverage of Mexico, North America, and Central America, which is fully contracted to a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation and will be used in part by Dish Mexico, an EchoStar joint venture, for Direct-To-Home (DTH) services in Mexico. The Ku-band satellite is scheduled for launch in 2011 and is designed to provide service for 15 years or more. Based on the flight-proven SS/L 1300 satellite platform, which provides flexibility for a broad range of applications, the satellite will be located at 77 degrees West.

{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter | Value

Working Orbit:​

| GEO

Orbital Location:​

| 77° West

Coverage:​

| Mexico, North America, Central America

ApA at separation:​

| 35786 km

PeA at separation:​

| 5983 km

Inc at separation:​

| 18.6°

Characteristics|

QuetzSat-1​

Customer:​

|

• SES S.A.
  

Prime contractor:​

|

• Space Systems / Loral
  

Platform:​

|

• Space Service Loral LS-1300S

Mass at Separation:​

|

• 5514 kg

Dry Mass:​

|

• ?

Stabilization:​

|

• 3 axis stabilized

Dimensions (stowed):​

|

• ?

Batteries:​

|

• ?

Navigation Payload:​

|

• 32 Ku-band transponders

Life time:​

|

• 15 years

|

Launch Vehicle:

{colsp=2}Characteristics

|

{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

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  43    47    .91  .90      1    08/17/11 2001-

QuetzSat-1 Ascent Profile

The Proton-M first three stages place the orbital unit (OU), which consists of a Breeze-M upper stage, adapter system and QuetzSat-1, into 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 five-burn injection profile.

QuetzSat-1 Ascent Timeline

Event|Time rel lift-off|Time UTC|Comment
Ignition Start Sequence|-00:00:02.5|18:31:57.5 (Sep 29th)|
Stage 1 Ignition (40% thrust)|-00:00:01.75|18:31:58.25|
Command Stage 1 (100% thrust)|-00:00:00.9|18:31:59.1|
Maximum Dynamic Pressure|00:01:02|18:32:02|
1st/2nd Stage Separation|00:02:00|18:33:00|
2nd/3rd Stage Separation|00:05:27|18:36:27|
Payload Fairing Separation|00:05:47|18:36:47|
3rd Stage/Breeze M Separation|00:09:42|18:41:42|
1st Burn Ignition|00:11:46|18:43:46|
1st Burn Shutdown|00:16:13|18:48:13|1st Burn's Duration 00:04:27
2nd Burn Ignition|01:07:33|19:39:33|
2nd Burn Shutdown|01:25:19|19:57:19|2nd Burn's Duration 00:17:46
3rd Burn Ignition|03:28:30|22:00:30|
3rd Burn Shutdown|03:41:20|22:13:20|3rd Burn's Duration 00:12:50
APT Jettison|03:42:10|22:14:10|
4th Burn Ignition|03:43:37|22:15:37|
4th Burn Shutdown|03:48:16|22:20:16|4th Burn's Duration 00:04:39
5th Burn Ignition|08:52:51|03:24:51(Sep 30th)|
5th Burn Shutdown|09:00:18|03:32:18|5th Burn's Duration 00:07:27
Spacecraft Separation|09:13:00|03:45:00|

Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on September 29, 2011 (7 p.m.)

Time|Temps|Wind|Chill|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Clouds|Visibility|Wind|Weather
7 PM|15°C|15°C|15°C|-2°C|29%|0%|0%|0%|10KM|SSE 0 m/s|

Clear

Sunrise/Sunset and associated twilight times for Baikonur on Thursday, September 29, 2011

Times are local.

Event|Time
Astronomical twilight begins|06 : 03
Nautical twilight begins|06 : 38
Civil twilight begins|07 : 13
Sunrise|07 : 41
Transit (sun is at its highest)|13 : 47
Sunset|19 : 34
Civil twilight ends|20 : 02
Nautical twilight ends|20 : 37
Astronomical twilight ends|21 : 12

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://en.ses.com
http://www.ssloral.com/html/satexp/quetzsat1.html
http://www.dish.com.mx/
http://www.tsenki.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


---------- Post added at 23:25 ---------- Previous post was at 23:16 ----------

Pictures and Videos:

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: ILS Proton-M set to launch with QuetzSat-1

 

[IronRain]

Live webcast about to start

 

[N_Molson]

Well, I wasn't at home but it looks like we have another success, for now :

QuetzSat 1 spacecraft blasts off to serve Mexico and U.S.

A direct-to-home television broadcasting satellite for Mexico and the U.S. is being hauled into orbit today by Russia's commercial Proton heavy-lifting rocket. Launch of the 9-hour ascent occurred as scheduled at 1832 GMT (2:32 p.m. EDT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

1855 GMT (2:55 p.m. EDT)

The Breeze M upper stage and QuetzSat 1 are now in a coast period that will last until T+69 minutes, 33 seconds. That is when the stage re-ignites for an 18-minute burn.

A third firing will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 28 minutes and last for 13 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, 43 minutes for a four-and-a-half-minute firing.

A final seven-and-a-half-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 52 minutes to finish shaping the orbit.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is targeted to occur at T+plus 9 hours, 13 minutes, or 0345 GMT (11:45 p.m. EDT) tonight.

1854 GMT (2:54 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 22 minutes, 30 seconds. International Launch Services reports that the first burn of Breeze M was successfully completed. Officials say today's mission is going according to plan.

1844 GMT (2:44 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 12 minutes, 45 seconds. 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.

1842 GMT (2:42 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 10 minutes, 40 seconds. The third stage has finished firing and jettisoned.

1841 GMT (2:41 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 QuetzSat 1 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.

1839 GMT (2:39 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes. Second stage separation has occurred and ignition of the Proton third stage has been confirmed. Also, the payload fairing enclosing the QuetzSat 1 spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.

1835 GMT (2:35 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.

1834 GMT (2:34 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 6 seconds. The first stage engines have shut down and the spent stage has separated. The four second stage engines are up and burning as planned.

1833 GMT (2:33 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.

1833 GMT (2:33 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere.

1832 GMT (2:32 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.

1832 GMT (2:32 p.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Russian Proton rocket lifting the QuetzSat 1 television broadcast satellite from Earth to space.

1831 GMT (2:31 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 60 seconds. All systems remain "go" for liftoff.

1830 GMT (2:30 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 2 minutes. The countdown is being run by a master computer sequencer.

---------- Post added at 07:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------

Just curious, has anyone managed to put a 5 tons satellite in GTO from Baikonur (using Thorton's Proton LV, for exemple) ? It seems that the number and sequence of the burns is pretty complex !

Like that pic posted by SiberianTiger :

---------- Post added at 09:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------

Breeze-M burn #2 successful :thumbup:

2015 GMT (4:15 p.m. EDT)

The second burn has been conducted by the Breeze M upper stage, boosting the rocket and its QuetzSat 1 payload from the initial low-altitude circular parking orbit of about 107 miles at 51.5 degrees inclination.

This latest firing lasting about four-and-a-half 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 the next two burns start around 2200 GMT (6:00 p.m. EDT) and occur back-to-back with only a brief pause in between to shed the donut-like auxiliary propellant tank.

Launch successful ! :thumbup:

0359 GMT (11:59 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

In the post-launch press release, International Launch Services President Frank McKenna says:

"SES has a long history with ILS and is an integral part of our heritage with 19 missions launched on ILS Proton, dating back to the groundbreaking first launch on ILS Proton in 1996 with SES's Astra 1F satellite. This long-term partnership illustrates a high level of confidence and trust in ILS Proton to launch over a third of their satellite fleet.

"We are honored to have launched the important QuetzSat 1 satellite for SES to serve EchoStar and thank SES, Space Systems/Loral and the ILS and Khrunichev teams for ensuring a successful launch of QuetzSat 1 to provide DTH services to Mexico and North and Central America."

0357 GMT (11:57 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

In the post-launch press release, SES President and CEO Romain Bausch says:

"The successful launch on ILS Proton of QuetzSat 1 satellite was critical for SES and our customer, EchoStar. We know we can count on ILS as they share the same dedication and commitment to facilitating the expansion of satellite communications worldwide with a launch on the heritage Proton launch vehicle.

"We look forward to our upcoming launches on ILS Proton to support the continued growth and replacement of our satellite fleet, continuing to reach new markets across the globe."

0348 GMT (11:48 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

LAUNCH SUCCESS! The Breeze M has accomplished its job, carrying QuetzSat 1 into geosynchronous transfer orbit and deploying the satellite.

QuetzSat 1 begins a 15-year life of direct-to-home television broadcasting for Mexico, the U.S. and Central America.

Built in California by Space Systems/Loral for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, the craft's 32 Ku-band transponders will beam entertainment programming to small roof-top dishes from its vantage point in geostationary orbital over the equator at 77 degrees West longitude.

SES will lease the QuetzSat 1's communications relay capacity to EchoStar Corp. for the Dish Mexico and the DISH Network subscription television services.

"QuetzSat1 is an extremely important satellite for us. It marks the start of SES' Mexican operations," said Martin Halliwell, SES chief technology officer.

Today represented the 67th commercial Proton mission under the guidance of International Launch Services and the third this year. The next flight is just a couple weeks away with the ViaSat 1 broadband Internet connectivity satellite to cover the United States.

0337 GMT (11:37 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

The final seven-and-a-half-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.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
2250 GMT (6:50 p.m. EDT)

The upper stage and attached QuetzSat 1 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 a 13-minute firing, then a pause to jettison the now-emptied extra fuel tank, followed by a four-and-a-half-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 264 miles, a high point of 22,244 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 3,718 miles and substantially reduce the inclination to 18.6 degrees.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is expected at 0345 GMT (11:45 p.m. EDT).

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

SFN has just reported mission success! :thumbup:

Edit: ILS Press release:

ILS PROTON SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES QUETZSAT-1 FOR SES



BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, September 30, 2011 – International Launch Services (ILS), a leading launch services provider for the global commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the QuetzSat-1 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit today on an ILS Proton for SES of Luxembourg (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG). This was the 19th SES satellite launched on ILS Proton.


The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the Cosmodrome at 12:32 a.m. today local time (2:32 p.m. EDT, 18:32 GMT on September 29). After a 9 hour, 13-minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the QuetzSat-1 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.



This was the 368th launch for Proton since its inaugural flight in 1965, and the 67th ILS Proton launch overall. The Proton Breeze M launch vehicle was developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, one of the pillars of the Russian space industry and the majority shareholder in ILS.



QuetzSat-1 is an all Ku-band high-powered (20-kilowatt) communications broadcasting satellite with coverage of Mexico, USA, and Central America which is fully contracted to a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The spacecraft is based on Space Systems/Loral’s highly reliable 1300 satellite platform and carries 32 Ku-band transponders. QuetzSat-1 provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances and provides high power for advanced DTH television. It is designed to deliver service for 15 years or longer.

ILS President, Frank McKenna said, “SES has a long history with ILS and is an integral part of our heritage with 19 missions launched on ILS Proton, dating back to the groundbreaking first launch on ILS Proton in 1996 with SES’s Astra 1F satellite. This long-term partnership illustrates a high level of confidence and trust in ILS Proton to launch over a third of their satellite fleet. We are honored to have launched the important QuetzSat-1 satellite for SES to serve EchoStar and thank SES, Space Systems/Loral and the ILS and Khrunichev teams for ensuring a successful launch of QuetzSat-1 to provide DTH services to Mexico and North and Central America.”



“The successful launch on ILS Proton of QuetzSat-1 satellite was critical for SES and our customer, EchoStar. We know we can count on ILS as they share the same dedication and commitment to facilitating the expansion of satellite communications worldwide with a launch on the heritage Proton launch vehicle. We look forward to our upcoming launches on ILS Proton to support the continued growth and replacement of our satellite fleet, continuing to reach new markets across the globe,” said SES President and CEO, Romain Bausch.



About ILS and Khrunichev

ILS is a world leader in providing launch services for global satellite operators offering a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, Va., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.



Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the next generation Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of 368 missions since 1965. Khrunichev 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. For more information, visit www.khrunichev.com.



About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 49 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organizatio worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.

---------- Post added at 14:38 ---------- Previous post was at 11:52 ----------

First Pictures:

---------- Post added at 16:29 ---------- Previous post was at 14:38 ----------

Launch Video: