Celebrations are underway after hard work and cooperation between international companies has paid off in a big way. The Proton Breeze M launch vehicle lifted the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite into orbit from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan marking the third mission of the year for International Launch Services (ILS). After a 9-hour-3-minute mission, the launcher successfully released the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite, a Eurostar 3000GM model built by EADS Astrium, is expected to go into service at 98 degrees West longitude, where it will deliver mobile broadband services over the United States for Inmarsat of London.

“Congratulations to ILS on another successful Proton launch. The F3 launch has been highly anticipated. This satellite will enable Inmarsat to complete its BGAN services to subscribers across the globe,” said Andrew Sukawaty, president and CEO of Inmarsat. “We thank ILS for its due diligence in returning to flight successfully."

ILS provides satellite customers with 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, Russia’s premier heavy-lift vehicle, to commercial satellite operators worldwide, as well as the Angara next-generation launcher. ILS is a U.S. company incorporated in Delaware, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry, manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of more than 330 missions since 1965.