A Proton rocket carrying a
Norwegian communications satellite blasted off from the snow-covered plains of
Kazakhstan Monday, delivering its $217 million cargo to orbit more than nine
hours later.
The 184-foot-tall rocket
began the marathon mission at 1134 GMT (6:34 a.m. EST) Monday with a fiery
launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Proton's three
core stages each fired during the first nine minutes of the flight, followed by
separation of the Breeze M upper stage and payload from the launcher's third
stage.
The Breeze M completed four
burns, first to achieve a safe parking orbit about 107 miles above Earth, then
to gradually raise its altitude and reduce its orbital inclination to zero
degrees. More than nine hours after liftoff, the stage deployed the 4,321-pound
Thor 5 communications satellite into a circular geosynchronous orbit.
The Proton was shooting for
an orbital altitude of 22,864 miles, according to prelaunch data.
Officials with
International Launch Services, the joint U.S.-Russian firm responsible for
marketing the Proton commercially, declared the mission a success Monday
evening.
The launch was pushed back
from Sunday due to technical problems encountered during the countdown.
Thor 5 will soon enter
service for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting of Norway, a leading communications
provider throughout the Scandinavian region. The satellite was built by Orbital
Sciences Corp. of Virginia.
Based at 0.8 degrees west
longitude, the spacecraft will replace the 10-year-old Thor 2 satellite, which
is nearing the end of its design life.
For up to 15 years, Thor 5
will provide customers with three times more payload power than its
predecessor, linking regions including Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the
Middle East.
Thor 5's 24 Ku-band
transponders, attached to fixed and mobile spot beams, will beam direct-to-home
broadcasting and interactive telecommunications services to its customers.
"The launch of THOR 5
represents a milestone for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting and demonstrates our
commitment to the satellite industry and our firm belief that satellites will
continue to play an important role as a distribution platform for TV
entertainment," said Cato Halsaa, CEO of Telenor Satellite Broadcasting.
Another Thor satellite
should be ready to launch next year to add additional communications capacity
for Telenor.
"Telenor Satellite
Broadcasting firmly believes that growth in HDTV and niche TV channels will
continue to create an increased demand for satellite capacity and with our
satellite replacement and expansion program on track, we are confident that we can
deliver a highly competitive distribution platform for our customers,"
Halsaa said.
Monday's launch was the
second for the Proton this year, and the first for International Launch
Services.
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