Proton M Rocket

The Proton-M rocket with Briz M upper stage to launch the NSS-14 (SES-4) communications satellite for SES NEW SKIES, of Luxembourg from Baikonur's Pad 39 at Site 200. The satellite was designed to service the Atlantic Ocean region at the orbital position 338 degrees East over the Equator. As of March 2010. The launch date was announced on March 18, 2009, and the satellite originally called NSS-14 was expected to take off in late 2010. In January 2010, it was expected in the first and second quarter of 2011. The mission was then delayed to mid- or late November of 2011 and to Dec. 27-28, 2011. A day before the orignal launch attempt on Dec. 27, 2011, International Launch Services, ILS, announced that the mission had been postponed for approximately 25 days for technical reasons associated with the avionics system of the launch vehicle's Briz M upper stage. The additional time was needed due to the required destacking and replacement of the affected avionics unit. The delay was called after Khrunichev engineers at the launch site received an anomalous telemetry reading on the Briz M upper stage during preflight testing. The vehicle and satellite remained in a safe configuration at the launch site, ILS said. The second attempt to launch SES-4 was rescheduled for January 28, 2012. The rocket with the spacecraft was rolled out to the launch pad on Jan. 25, 2012, however two days later Roskosmos announced that the technical problems required to postpone the launch to a later date. The return of the rocket from the launch pad to the processing facility is scheduled to take place on January 27, Roskosmos said. According to unofficial sources, the mission is delayed until the middle of February.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• rocket
• proton
• Russian
• SES-4
• NSS-14
• satellite
• Baikonur