A new
Swedish telecommunications satellite roared into space Saturday, riding a
Russian-built rocket successfully into orbit.
The Sirius
4 satellite launched
spaceward atop a Proton M booster at 5:39 p.m. EST (2239 GMT) from the
Central Asian spaceport of Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Built by
Lockheed Martin for the Solna, Sweden-based communications provider SES Sirius,
the Sirius 4 satellite will provide direct-to-home television and other
services to customers across Europe, Africa and the Baltic/Nordic region.
"We
are very proud and satisfied that the Sirius 4 mission has been a
success," said Hakan Sjodin, managing director of SES Sirius, in a
statement. "Sirius 4 will benefit our customers and extend our coverage
and service in Eastern Europe."
Weighing in
at 9,667 pounds (4,385 kilograms), the Sirius 4 satellite carries 53 active
Ku-band transponders, two active KA-band transponders and designed for a
15-year service lifetime. The McLean, Va.-based launch service provider
International Launch Services (ILS) oversaw the satellite's Saturday launch.
"This
was an especially important mission for ILS and our customer, SES SIRIUS,"
said ILS president Frank McKenna in a statement. "ILS and our partner,
Khrunichev, continue to focus on performance and on our long-term relationship
with the SES group of companies."
Sirius 4's liftoff
marked ILS' fourth Proton launch of the year and its 43rd mission using the
Russian-built booster. It also marked the second
successful Proton flight since a faulty cable foiled
the launch of a Japanese satellite on Sept. 5.
After launch,
Sirius 4's Breeze M upper stage guided the spacecraft on a nine-hour and
13-minute trip to send it toward its final geostationary orbit 22,236 miles
(35,786 kilometers) above Earth. The successful launch marked the 329th flight
of a Proton rocket.
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