MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005

Millions of Americans with pizza-size rooftop satellite dishes receiving direct-to-home television signals from DIRECTV will benefit from Sunday's successful Russian Proton rocket launch.

Atop the 19-story rocket rode a fresh spacecraft for DIRECTV's satellite constellation, setting the stage for a summertime strengthening of the company's orbiting network.

The DIRECTV 8 spacecraft roared away from Earth at 1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT) after a one-day delay for unspecified technical problems. It took over 9 hours for the rocket to haul the 8,200-pound craft from the launch pad at historic Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to its intended egg-shaped geosynchronous transfer orbit that stretches from 9,400 miles at its closest point to 22,200 miles at its highest.

Over the next two weeks, controllers will guide the satellite into a circular geostationary orbit above the Pacific where it can match Earth's rotation and appear parked above the equator to beam television and entertainment programming directly to subscribers across the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

DIRECTV anticipates the new craft will be ready to enter service within a few months, taking over the orbital job of an aging satellite at the 101 degree West longitude slot.

Built to operate at least 12 years, DIRECTV 8 features 32 Ku-band transponders to preserve the subscriber services already provided. But the satellite also carries a Ka-band broadband payload designed to link DIRECTV broadcasting facilities, a step in the company's plans to offer local digital and high-definition channels to households across the country starting this fall.

"DIRECTV is at a fascinating place in time because it has gone from being a start-up company with no subscribers and no income to a very successful $10 billion a year company with 13 million subscribers. And instead of just starting to kind of hum in that place, we're starting over," said Phil Goswitz, DIRECTV's senior director of satellites.

"We're leaving that business behind and we're starting high-definition service in Ka-band, which means something new for everybody at DIRECTV. For the satellite team, it's new satellites and rockets. But for all of engineering, it's new receivers, new outdoor dishes, new broadcast centers. And within marketing it's a whole new marketing strategy; within programming it's a whole new kind of programming."

While today's launch was focused on fortifying DIRECTV's system by replacing an older satellite, the first of several new satellites to substantially expand high-definition channel offerings was launched April 26. Dubbed Spaceway F1, that powerhouse satellite will go into service this summer to begin DIRECTV's new initiative to transmit more than 1,500 national and local high-definition channels. It will be joined by three other satellites -- Spaceway F2 later this year and DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11 in 2007 -- to fully implement the system.

"New satellites like DIRECTV 8 and the recently launched Spaceway F1, enable us to continue to build on our leadership position and roll out additional new products and services for our customers, and take advantage of new opportunities in the marketplace, including the growing demand for HD and interactive services," said Chase Carey, president and CEO of DIRECTV.

Space Systems/Loral built the DIRECTV 8 satellite in Palo Alto, California, then shipped it to the launch site in Central Asia. This was the second DIRECTV satellite flown on the Russian heavy-lift Proton booster, which is marketed commercially by International Launch Services.

"We congratulate the ILS launch team on their flawless execution in placing DIRECTV 8 into orbit today," said Jim Butterworth, DIRECTV's senior vice president of communication systems.

"We're pleased that DIRECTV chose ILS and Proton to launch this important satellite," said ILS President Mark Albrecht.

ILS is a joint U.S./Russian venture formed 10 years ago to sell Proton and American Atlas rockets. So far in 2005, the two rocket families have each performed a pair of launches for ILS.

The next ILS Proton mission is expected in August when the Canadian Anik F1R communications satellite is carried aloft. Also in August, an Atlas 5 is scheduled to launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

0325 GMT (11:25 p.m. EDT Sun.)

SUCCESS. The Breeze M upper stage completed its final engine firing and then released the DIRECTV 8 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit to successfully conclude today's launch.

International Launch Services managed the Proton mission. The group's next commercial Proton launch is expected in August when the Canadian Anik F1R communications satellite is carried aloft.

Check back for a complete launch wrap-up.

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2005
2229 GMT (6:29 p.m. EDT)

DIRECTV 8 is moving ever closer to tonight's deployment orbit. The Breeze M upper stage has successfully completed its third and fourth engine burns, leaving just one more to go a few hours from now.

The first firing was used to reach a low-altitude 173-km circular parking orbit above Earth inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator. The second maneuver reached an elliptical intermediate orbit of roughly 258 by 5,000 km inclined 50.3 degrees to the equator.

The third and fourth burns, which were separated by a few minutes in which the Breeze M shed its drained auxiliary fuel tank, raised the orbit to approximately 395 by 35,819 km with an inclination of 49.1 degrees.

The final maneuver this evening puts DIRECTV 8 into the geosynchronous transfer orbit of 15,139 by 35,786 km and radically lowers inclination to 7.9 degrees.

The rocket stage is scheduled to deploy DIRECTV 8 around 0314 GMT this evening to complete the launch.

DIRECTV 8 will used its own liquid-fueled engine to achieve a 36,000 km circular geostationary orbit along the equator to enter service this summer.

1950 GMT (3:50 p.m. EDT)

The first two firings by the Breeze M motor have been on the mark, International Launch Services reports. The upper stage is propelling the DIRECTV 8 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit today during five precisely planned engine burns.

1820 GMT (2:20 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 21 minutes. ILS says the Breeze M performed its initial burn.

The Breeze M upper stage and DIRECTV 8 are supposed to enter a coast period that will last until T+plus 68 minutes, 24 seconds when the stage re-ignites for a 16.5-minute firing to reach an intermediate orbit.

A third burn begins at T+plus 3 hours, 29 minutes and lasts almost 14 minutes. Following completion of its third burn of the mission, the Breeze M will jettison its emptied Additional Propellant Tank. The stage then restarts at T+plus 3 hours, 45 minutes for a 2.5-minute burn. A final 10 minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 50 minutes.

The DIRECTV 8 spacecraft will be deployed into a targeted geosynchronous transfer orbit of 35,786 km x 15,130 km (22,236 mi x 9,401 miles), inclined at 7.9 degrees. Separation of the satellite from the upper stage to complete the launch is expected at T+plus 9 hours, 15 minutes.

We'll update this page when the next information is released from International Launch Services.

1818 GMT (2:18 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 19 minutes. We're standing by for confirmation that the first Breeze M burn has been accomplished as planned.

1812 GMT (2:12 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 11 minutes, 25 seconds. Based on the planned timeline, the Breeze M upper stage should have ignited for its first firing of the night. But confirmation will not be announced in real-time.

This initial firing by the Breeze M will last about 7.5 minutes to reach a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth.

1810 GMT (2:10 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 11 minutes. ILS confirms that third stage engine cutoff has occurred and the spent stage separated as expected.

The Breeze M upper stage and attached DIRECTV 8 spacecraft are on a suborbital trajectory in preparation for the first of five planned firings by the upper stage to reach geosynchronous transfer orbit over the next 9 hours.

1806 GMT (2:06 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes. The third stage will fire for another two-and-a-half minutes.

1805 GMT (2:05 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 6 minutes. The second stage has been jettisoned and the Proton third stage has ignited as planned. Also, the payload fairing enclosing the DIRECTV 8 spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.

1804 GMT (2:04 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes, 15 seconds. Altitude is 114 km. Coming up on burn out and separation of the second stage.

1803 GMT (2:03 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 4 minutes. Proton has reached 96 km above the planet as this smooth flight continues.

1802 GMT (2:02 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 3 minutes. The rocket is over 73 km in altitude. The second stage engines are burning well.

1801 GMT (2:01 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. The first stage engines have shut down and the spent stage has separated. The four second stage engines have ignited to continue boosting the vehicle to space.

1800 GMT (2:00 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 70 seconds. The rocket 12.7 km in altitude as all systems perform normally.

1800 GMT (2:00 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere.

1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 25 seconds. The Russian rocket is maneuvering to the proper heading for its climb to space. All six liquid-fueled engines on the first stage are firing.

1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the commercial Proton rocket launching a fresh broadcasting spacecraft into DIRECTV's satellite constellation!

1758 GMT (1:58 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 60 seconds. The countdown continues on schedule with the master computer sequencer in control.

1756 GMT (1:56 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 3 minutes. No problems or issues have been reported during the final phase of today's countdown.

1754 GMT (1:54 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes. The launch readiness of the Proton core vehicle, Breeze M upper stage and DIRECTV 8 spacecraft will be verified over the next few minutes in the countdown.

1752 GMT (1:52 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 7 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket weighs about 1.5 million pounds as it sits on the launch pad. The DIRECTV 8 spacecraft accounts for about 8,181 pounds of the weight. The Proton's six first stage engines will be ignited at launch to boost the rocket off the ground.

1749 GMT (1:49 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 10 minutes and counting. International Launch Services, the joint venture formed in 1995 to market American Atlas and Russian Proton rockets, is managing today's mission. This will be the 33rd Proton flight for ILS and the second of 2005.

1745 GMT (1:45 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 14 minutes and counting. The weather is favorable for today's Proton launch with clear skies, a temperature of 21 degrees C and winds from the northeast at 9 to 11 meters per second.

1743 GMT (1:43 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 16 minutes and counting. International Launch Services reports that everything is progressing smoothly in the countdown for today's liftoff the Russian Proton vehicle and the DIRECTV 8 communications satellite at 1759 GMT.

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2005

The countdown is underway for today's scheduled launch of the Russian Proton rocket on a commercial mission to place the DIRECTV 8 broadcasting spacecraft into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff will occur at 1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT). Watch this page for confirmation of launch and key events during ascent.

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2005

Officials are hoping to reschedule this launch for Sunday at 1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT). The reason for Saturday's scrub has not been revealed in any detail.

1335 GMT (9:35 a.m. EDT)

SCRUB. Today's launch of a replacement broadcasting spacecraft for DIRECTV aboard a Russian Proton rocket has been postponed because of a technical concern with the booster. Details on the glitch and a new launch date are pending.

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2005

For the second time in less than a month, satellite broadcaster DIRECTV is gearing up for the launch of a new member of its ever-growing spacecraft fleet - this time from central Asia.

DIRECTV 8 is set to be tugged into space aboard a Russian Proton rocket moments before the clock strikes midnight Saturday night at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. That equates to 1759 GMT (1:59 p.m. EDT).

The mission follows DIRECTV's deployment of the Spaceway 1 satellite on April 26 by a Sea Launch Zenit rocket that blasted off from a platform in the Pacific Ocean.

The Proton and its Breeze M upper stage will spend over nine hours shooting through space before finally delivering its cargo into an egg-shaped transfer orbit. DIRECTV 8 will then perform subsequent maneuvers to deftly glide into its permanent residence in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles high above the equator.

After completing a testing and commissioning period, DIRECTV 8 will be ready to serve the company's 13.9 million customers across the United States from a location along the equator at 101 degrees West longitude, or above the eastern Pacific Ocean. The craft will take over service from an older satellite stationed at that location, which is the primary orbital slot for the direct-to-home television provider.

Anticipated to operate for at least 12 years, DIRECTV 8 can use up to 32 Ku-band transponders to reach customers in a swath including all of the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. The new addition to the constellation will be at the heart of maintaining the continuity of services the company has provided for over a decade.

The hybrid satellite also carries with it a comprehensive Ka-band communications payload designed to link and collect signals from DIRECTV broadcasting facilities as part of preparations for the initiation of local digital and high definition programming to households around the country.

Based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 series design and completed two months ahead of schedule, the 8,181-pound DIRECTV 8 marks the second DIRECTV satellite to launch aboard a Proton, and the 314th flight of the rocket in its five-decade history.

At liftoff Saturday, the Proton's six first stage RD-275 powerplants will provide over two million pounds of thrust for the initial two minutes of flight. After shutting down, the spent rocket body will be jettisoned as the second stage's four engines ignite for their three-minute, 30-second burn. Next will be the third stage as it fires for several more minutes, during which time the Proton's nose cone will separate to expose DIRECTV 8 to the vacuum of space.

Once the engine cuts off, the Breeze M upper stage will pull away to begin its series of five burns - first to finish the journey to orbit, then to raise altitude and decrease inclination from the high latitude of the launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Spacecraft separation is due 9 hours and 15 minutes into the mission, which is managed by International Launch Services.

Spaceflight Now will provide live updates on this page during the final minutes of the countdown and launch of the Proton rocket.