Russian carrier puts smoothly into orbit US telecom satellite
MOSCOW. July 12. KAZINFORM A Russian Proton-M launch vehicle, blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome on Saturday evening, smoothly put into a targeted orbit the US telecom EchoStar-15 satellite, Itar-Tass learnt from press secretary of the Khrunichev Space Centre Alexander Bobrenev; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
According to the press secretary, "the spacecraft EchoStar-15 detached from the Briz-M booster at 07.54 MT". The satellite will operate at a sub-satellite point 61.5 degrees western longitude in a geostationary orbit.
The EchoStar-15 spacecraft was developed by the Space Systems Loral Company on orders of a satellite communication operator of the EchoStar Company to work in the interests of the American TV company DISH Network whose services are enjoyed by 14 million televiewers in the US. The designed period of operation in orbit - 15 years. The satellite's mass - 5,540 kilos. It is equipped with 32 transponders.
The Proton-M carrier and the Briz-M booster are manufactured by the Khrunichev Space Centre. It is a three-stage missile, liquid with the takeoff weight of 700 tonnes. The International Launch Services Company (ILS) is engaged in marketing Protons on the market of space services. The control interest in the company is owned by the Khrunichev centre.
The centre noted that the Saturday launch was the seventh for the Proton-M carrier in 2010 and 358th in its flight history. It was the fifth for ILS in 2010 and 61st since the start of commercial operation of Protons in April 1996.