Thiswill be the first Proton mission since July 12 when the rocket successfullydelivered into orbit the Zevzdaservice module, which later docked with the InternationalSpace Station (ISS).Aboutnine minutes after blastoff the satellite and its Block D upper stage isexpected to reach an initial parking orbit. The Block D's upper stage enginewill then fire to boost its payload toward the final orbit 22,300 miles(36,000 kilometers) above the equator.
Accordingto space officials in Moscow, the secret military cargo the Proton is carryingis the Globus 1 ("Globe") satellite, which will provide communicationsfor the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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Proton'sbusy year
Althoughit is designated Globus 1, this will be the second spacecraft of this typegoing into orbit. The original Globus was successfully launched in February1999, also on the Proton.
TheGlobus represent a new generation of military communications spacecraftreplacing older Raduga ("Rainbow") satellites.
A launchattempt originally scheduled for Saturday was delayed two days becauseof a problem with the spacecraft.
Officialssaid they could not confirm the final readiness of the satellite in timefor its integration with the launcher. Additional checks, along with thepaperwork confirming the readiness of the spacecraft, delayed the rolloutof the Proton onto the launch pad.
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