Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
Another day (night), another Proton......
.....well 2014 is a pretty different year for the Proton compared with the past few years. For one, more Russian payloads are waiting for launch on the Proton than ILS commercial payloads - a feat not seen since about a decade ago. While the confidence drop in using the Proton may have something to do with it, it also shows that the Russians are now in full rebound for demand of domestic comsats and other BLEO military payloads. Among these customers is the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) - the state owned satellite telecom operator, who is getting 6 (yes, six!) new comsats in 2014. Today's launch marks the launch of the first two of them - Express-AT1 and Express-AT2. Both small comsats were apparently ordered for use in time with the Sochi Winter Olympics, but as with many other facilities these satellites have just missed the launch schedule. Well it should be just in time for use during the FIFA World Cup......
Launch location:
Baikonur Launch pad no. 81/24 46°4'15.38"N, 62°59'5.11"E
Launch dates and times:
{colsp=6}Launch times
Time Zone |
{colsp=6}
Live Coverage Of The Launch:
PAYLOAD 1
Express-AT1 communication satellite:
Mission Summary
The Ekspress-AT 1 is a Direct-To-Home broadcasting satellite for russian domestic communication services. While the spacecraft itself is built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payload is built by Thales Alenia Space.
Express-AT1 will generate 5.6 kilowatts of power for its 32 Ku-band transponders and operate at 56 degrees east. It will replace the Bonum 1 satellite.
{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter | Value
Characteristics|
|
PAYLOAD 2
Express-AT2 communication satellite:
Mission Summary
The Ekspress-AT 2 is a Direct-To-Home broadcasting satellite for russian domestic communication services. While the spacecraft itself is built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payload is built by Thales Alenia Space.
Express-AT2, with 3 kilowatts of power for 16 Ku-band transponders, will be operated at 36 degrees east.
{colsp=2}Summary
Parameter | Value
Characteristics|
|
Launch Vehicle:
{colsp=2}Characteristics
|
{colsp=2}
The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2014.html#rate:
Proton-M Ascent Profile
The Proton-M first three stages place the orbital unit (OU), which consists of a Breeze-M upper stage, adapter system and the two satellites, into a 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 four-burn injection profile.
Express-AT1 & AT2 Ascent Timeline
(to be posted later)
Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 16, 2014 (3 a.m.)
Partly to mostly cloudy. High 12C. Winds S at 10 to 15 kmh.
Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
4 AM|2°C|-4°C|67%|0%|0%|90%|1022 hPa|14 km/h SSW|
Overcast
References
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.khrunichev.ru
http://tihiy.fromru.com/Rn/RN_Proton.htm
http://www.satlaunch.net
http://rscc.ru
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/proton_ekspress_am5.html
http://space.skyrocket.de
http://www.tsenki.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://english.wunderground.com/q/locid:KZXX0055
.....well 2014 is a pretty different year for the Proton compared with the past few years. For one, more Russian payloads are waiting for launch on the Proton than ILS commercial payloads - a feat not seen since about a decade ago. While the confidence drop in using the Proton may have something to do with it, it also shows that the Russians are now in full rebound for demand of domestic comsats and other BLEO military payloads. Among these customers is the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) - the state owned satellite telecom operator, who is getting 6 (yes, six!) new comsats in 2014. Today's launch marks the launch of the first two of them - Express-AT1 and Express-AT2. Both small comsats were apparently ordered for use in time with the Sochi Winter Olympics, but as with many other facilities these satellites have just missed the launch schedule. Well it should be just in time for use during the FIFA World Cup......
Launch location:
Baikonur Launch pad no. 81/24 46°4'15.38"N, 62°59'5.11"E
Launch dates and times:
Time Zone |
Baikonur / UTC+6
|
Moscow / UTC+4
|
Universal / UTC
|
Washington / EDT
|
Los Angeles / PDT
Launch time (Primary):
|
05:08:00
|
03:08:00
|
23:08:00
|
19:08:00
|
16:08:00
on:
|
Mar. 16, 2014
|
Mar. 16, 2014
|
Mar. 15, 2014
|
Mar. 15, 2014
|
Mar. 15, 2014
{colsp=6}
[highlight][eventTimer]2014-03-15 23:08:00?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Express-AT1 & AT2 Launch[/highlight]
Live Coverage Of The Launch:
- 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 1
Express-AT1 communication satellite:
Mission Summary
The Ekspress-AT 1 is a Direct-To-Home broadcasting satellite for russian domestic communication services. While the spacecraft itself is built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payload is built by Thales Alenia Space.
Express-AT1 will generate 5.6 kilowatts of power for its 32 Ku-band transponders and operate at 56 degrees east. It will replace the Bonum 1 satellite.
Parameter | Value
Working Orbit:
|
GEO
Orbital Location:
|
56° East
Coverage:
|
Eastern Europe/Western Russia/Siberia
ApA at separation:
|
35401 km
PeA at separation:
|
35401 km
Inc at separation:
|
0°Express-AT1
Customer:
|- Russian Satellite Communications Company
Prime contractor:
|- JSC Information Satellite Systems
Platform:
|- Express-1000NTB
Mass at Separation:
|- 1672 kg
Dry Mass:
|- ?
Stabilization:
|- 3 axis stabilized
Dimensions (stowed):
|- ?
Batteries:
|- three-section solar panels providing 5.88 kW of power
Payload:
|- 32 Ku-band transponders
Life time:
|- 15 years
Ku-band coverage:
|
|
PAYLOAD 2
Express-AT2 communication satellite:
Mission Summary
The Ekspress-AT 2 is a Direct-To-Home broadcasting satellite for russian domestic communication services. While the spacecraft itself is built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payload is built by Thales Alenia Space.
Express-AT2, with 3 kilowatts of power for 16 Ku-band transponders, will be operated at 36 degrees east.
Parameter | Value
Working Orbit:
|
GEO
Orbital Location:
|
140° East
Coverage:
|
Siberia/Far-eastern Russia
ApA at separation:
|
35401 km
PeA at separation:
|
35401 km
Inc at separation:
|
0°Express-AT2
Customer:
|- Russian Satellite Communications Company
Prime contractor:
|- JSC Information Satellite Systems
Platform:
|- Express-1000K
Mass at Separation:
|- 1326 kg
Dry Mass:
|- ?
Stabilization:
|- 3 axis stabilized
Dimensions (stowed):
|- ?
Batteries:
|- three-section solar panels providing 3 kW of power
Payload:
|- 16 Ku-band transponders
Life time:
|- 15 years
Ku-band coverage:
|
|
Launch Vehicle:
Proton-M / Briz-M
Prime contractor:
|- Khrunichev Space Centre
GRAU Index:
|- 8K82KM
Height:
| 58.2 m with upper stage and payload fairingDiameter:
| max 7.4 mLiftoff mass:
| 705 metric tonnesPayload mass:
| ~22 tonnes at LEO1st 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/log2014.html#rate:
Code:
================================================================
Vehicle Successes/Tries Realzd Pred Consc. Last Dates
Rate Rate* Succes Fail
================================================================
Proton-M/Briz-M 66 72 .92 .91 10 12/08/12 2001-Proton-M Ascent Profile
The Proton-M first three stages place the orbital unit (OU), which consists of a Breeze-M upper stage, adapter system and the two satellites, into a 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 four-burn injection profile.
Express-AT1 & AT2 Ascent Timeline
(to be posted later)
Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 16, 2014 (3 a.m.)
Partly to mostly cloudy. High 12C. Winds S at 10 to 15 kmh.
4 AM|2°C|-4°C|67%|0%|0%|90%|1022 hPa|14 km/h SSW|
References
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.khrunichev.ru
http://tihiy.fromru.com/Rn/RN_Proton.htm
http://www.satlaunch.net
http://rscc.ru
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/proton_ekspress_am5.html
http://space.skyrocket.de
http://www.tsenki.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://english.wunderground.com/q/locid:KZXX0055
