ILS Proton Successfully Launches Measat-3 Satellite

A Russian Proton launch vehicle lifts off Dec. 12 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Measat-3 satellite for Malaysia. (ILS photo)

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, Dec. 13, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― A Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully placed the Measat-3 satellite into orbit on Tuesday for the final mission of the year for International Launch Services (ILS).

The launcher lifted off at 5:28 a.m. Tuesday local time (6:28 p.m. Monday EST, 23:28 Monday GMT).

The mission lasted 9 hours and 12 minutes before Measat -3 was released into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. This was the fourth Proton launch of the year for ILS.

The satellite is a 601HP model built for Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd by Boeing Satellite Systems International Inc. On Tuesday, Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Measat announced that Boeing has acquired the first signal from the satellite following its successful launch on Dec. 11. The satellite now will maneuver itself to a geostationary orbit approximately 22,300 miles above Earth where a series of spacecraft deployments and tests will verify that it is ready to begin service.

From its final orbital position of 91.5 degrees East longitude, Measat-3 will serve customers in more than 100 countries at C-band and in Malaysia, Indonesia and South Asian with DTH-quality Ku-band coverage. This was Measat’s first launch on an ILS Proton vehicle, as well as the 10th 601 model spacecraft launched on Proton.

The Proton vehicle, built by ILS partner Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Russia, has carried out 323 missions for the Russian government and commercial customers over more than 40 years.

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