Category: Satellites

Image credit: Stanford
A NASA spacecraft designed to test two important predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity is set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 1 p.m. EDT, April 17.

NASA’s Gravity Probe B mission, also known as GP-B, will use four ultra-precise gyroscopes, orbiting the Earth in a unique satellite, to experimentally test two extraordinary predictions of Einstein’s 1916 theory that space and time are distorted by the presence of massive objects. The two effects being tested are: The geodetic effect, the amount by which the Earth warps local spacetime in which it resides, and the frame-dragging effect, the amount by which the Earth drags local spacetime around with it as it rotates.

“Gravity Probe-B has the potential to uncover fundamental properties of the invisible universe, a universe which seems very bizarre and alien to our everyday perceptions yet one that Einstein tried to show us almost a century ago,” said Dr. Anne Kinney, director of the Astronomy and Physics Division in NASA’s Office of Space Science, Washington. “Testing the key aspects of Einstein’s theory, such as GP-B will do, will provide crucial information to science just as it has already helped America by pushing technological progress in developing the tools needed for these ultra-precise measurements,” she added

Once placed in its polar orbit of 640 kilometers (400 miles) above Earth, GP-B will circle the globe every 97.5 minutes, crossing over both poles. In-orbit checkout and calibration is scheduled to last 40-60 days, followed by a 13-month science-data acquisition period and a two-month post-science period for calibrations.

To test the general theory of relativity, GP-B will monitor any drift in the gyroscopes’ spin axis alignment in relation to its guide star, IM Pegasi (HR 8703). Over the course of a year, the anticipated spin axis drift for the geodetic effect is a minuscule angle of 6,614.4 milliarcseconds, and the anticipated spin axis drift for the frame-dragging effect is even smaller, only 40.9 milliarcseconds. To illustrate the size of the angles, if you climbed a slope of 40.9 milliarcseconds for 100 miles, you would rise only one inch in altitude.

During the mission, data from GP-B will be received a minimum of two times each day. Earth-based ground stations or NASA’s data relay satellites can receive the information. Controllers will be able to communicate with GP-B from the Mission Operations Center at Stanford University.

Data will include space vehicle and instrument performance, as well as the very precise measurements of the gyroscopes’ spin-axis orientation. By 2005 the GP-B mission will be complete, and a one-year period is planned for scientific analysis of the data.

“Developing GP-B has been a supreme challenge requiring the skillful integration of an extraordinary range of new technologies,” said Professor Francis Everitt of Stanford University, and the GP-B principal investigator. “It is hard to see how it could have been done without the kind of unique long-term collaboration that we have had between Stanford, Lockheed Martin, and NASA. It is wonderful to be ready for launch,” he said.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the GP-B program. NASA’s prime contractor for the mission, Stanford University, conceived the experiment and is responsible for the design and integration of the science instrument, as well as for mission operations and data analysis. Lockheed Martin, a major subcontractor, designed, integrated and tested the spacecraft and some of its major payload components. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif., are responsible for the countdown and launch of the Delta II.

The launch from Vandenberg will be broadcast live on NASA Television on the AMC-9 satellite, transponder 9C, located at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, frequency 3880.megahertz, audio 6.8 megahertz. Information about launch events and video will be carried on a NASA website called the Virtual Launch Control Center at:

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/gpb/vlcc.htm
For information about the GP-B mission on the Internet, visit:

http://einstein.stanford.edu/

and

http://www.gravityprobeb.com

Original Source: NASA News Release

Image credit: Boeing
The 50th satellite launched for the U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS), GPS IIR-11, was delivered to space today by a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket.

The three-stage configuration Delta II launch vehicle lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 12:53 p.m. EST.

GPS IIR-11 was successfully deployed to a transfer orbit following a 68-minute flight, where it will join the 24-satellite system.

?Today?s launch is a significant milestone for the Boeing Delta team,? said Will Trafton, vice president and general manager, Boeing Expendable Launch Systems. ?Our team?s commitment to mission assurance has played a critical role in the success of the GPS program and the services it provides to the U.S. military as well as civilian users around the world.?

Boeing Delta II rockets have launched all of the Block II GPS satellites making up the current operating constellation.

The successful deployment to space of GPS satellites aboard Delta II rockets has enabled the U.S. military to utilize GPS to assist aircraft, ships, land vehicles and ground personnel using handheld devices.

GPS also provides directional guidance for the freefall flight of the Boeing-built Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) smart weapon system, which has successfully been used in the war on terrorism.

GPS provides military and civilian users three-dimensional position location data in longitude, latitude and elevation as well as precise time and velocity.

The Air Force Space Command administers the GPS program, which is operated by the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.

The next mission for the Delta team is the launch of Gravity Probe B for NASA aboard a Delta II, scheduled for launch in April from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world?s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world?s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world?s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA?s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.

Original Source: Boeing News Release

Image credit: NASA
Deep space is cold. Very cold. That’s a problem–especially if you’re flying in an old spaceship. And your power supplies are waning. And the fuel lines could freeze at any moment. Oh, and by the way, you’ve got to keep flying for thirteen more years.

It sounds like a science fiction thriller, but this is really happening to the NASA/European Space Agency spacecraft Ulysses.

Ulysses was launched in 1990 on a five-year mission to study the sun. The craft gathered new data about the speed and direction of the solar wind. It discovered the 3D shape of the sun’s magnetic field. It recorded solar flares on the sun, and super-solar flares from distant neutron stars. Ulysses even flew through the tail of comet Hyakutake, an unexpected encounter that delighted astronomers.

The mission was supposed to end in 1995, but Ulysses was too successful to quit. NASA and the ESA have granted three extensions, most recently in Feb. 2004. Ulysses is scheduled to keep going until 2008, thirteen years longer than originally planned.

Ulysses’ extended mission, as before, is to study the sun. But at the moment Ulysses is far from our star. It’s having an encounter with Jupiter, studying the giant planet and its magnetic field. Sunlight out there is 25 times less intense than what we experience on Earth, and Ulysses is getting perilously cold.

Back in the 1980’s, when Ulysses was still on Earth and being assembled, mission planners knew that the spacecraft would have to endure some low temperatures. So they put dozens of heaters onboard, all powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or “RTG.” These heaters have kept Ulysses comfortably warm.

But there’s a problem: the RTG is fading.

“The power output of the RTG has been dropping since the spacecraft was launched,” says Nigel Angold, the Ulysses ESA Spacecraft Operations Manager at JPL. RTG power naturally fades as its radioactive source decays. That’s as expected. What planners didn’t expect was 13 years of extra operations.

“When Ulysses was launched in 1990 the RTG produced 285 watts. Now it’s down to 207 watts–barely enough power to run the science instruments and the heaters at the same time,” notes Angold.

Inside Ulysses the temperature varies from place to place. “Many of the science instruments are already below freezing (0 C),” says Ulysses thermal engineer Fernando Castro. “That’s OK, because they can operate at low temperature.” But the fuel lines are another matter. They’re hovering about 3 degrees above zero, “and if they freeze we’re in trouble.”

Fuel lines are critical to the mission. They deliver hydrazine propellant to the ship’s eight thrusters. Every week or so, ground controllers fire the thrusters to keep Ulysses’ radio antenna pointing toward Earth. The thrusters won’t work if the hydrazine freezes. No thrusters means no communication. The mission would be lost.

About eight meters of fuel line snake through the spaceship. Every twist and turn is a possible cold spot, a place where the hydrazine can begin to solidify. “If the hydrazine freezes anywhere, I don’t know if we can safely thaw it again,” worries Castro. When hydrazine thaws, it expands, possibly enough to rupture the fuel lines. Ulysses’ propellant would fizzle uselessly into space.

The temperature at any given point along the fuel lines is bewilderingly sensitive to what’s going on elsewhere in the spacecraft. Turning on a scientific instrument “here” might cause a chill “over there,” because it takes power away from one of the heaters. Firing a thruster, playing back or recording data: almost anything could upset Ulysses’ delicate thermal balance.

Above: The complicated interior of Ulysses. Dark blocks are science instruments and other devices. Fuel lines, denoted by red, blue and green, lead from a central hydrazine tank to the thrusters. Click here to view areas most vulnerable to freezing.

Even the simple act of sending the spacecraft a message can cause problems. Systems engineer Andy McGarry recalls, “last month we were sending some new commands to Ulysses when the temperature began to drop, as much as 0.8 degrees C near the fuel lines. We were less than a degree from the freezing point of hydrazine–too close for comfort.”

Engineers quickly figured out the problem. “All of Ulysses’ science instruments had been activated to study Jupiter,” explains McGarry, “and this was straining the RTG to its limit.” Ulysses would have trouble supporting even one more device. But when a signal arrived from Earth, another device did turn on, automatically: the decoder, which translates radio signals into a stream of binary ones and zeros understood by Ulysses’ computers. “The decoder was stealing power from the heaters.”

Since then ground controllers have learned to keep their transmissions to Ulysses brief, so the temperature can’t fall very far.

Ulysses is about to turn away from Jupiter and head back to the sun. Eventually solar heating will keep the hydrazine warm, and onboard heaters can be turned off, “but that won’t happen until 2007,” says Angold. Meanwhile, engineers at JPL keep a constant watch on the spacecraft.

Mission scientist Steve Suess at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center believes it’s worth the effort. “The extended mission gives us a chance to learn a lot more about the sun.” Of special interest is the Solar Minimum. Solar activity waxes and wanes every 11 years, he explains. Ulysses studied the sun’s quiet phase, Solar Minimum, between 1994 and 1995. Now Ulysses gets to do it again. “The next Solar Minimum is due around 2006,” says Suess, “but it won’t be the same as before.” In 2001 the sun’s magnetic field flipped. The north pole shifted south, and vice versa. Magnetically speaking, the sun is now upside down. How will that affect Solar Minimum?

Perhaps Ulysses will find out ? if it doesn’t freeze to death first.

Original Source: NASA Science Story

Image credit: ILS
A Russian Proton rocket successfully placed the Eutelsat W3A satellite into orbit this morning, marking the second mission in three days for International Launch Services (ILS).

This was the first flight of the year for the Khrunichev-built Proton vehicle, which has carried out more than 300 missions for the Russian government and commercial customers over nearly 40 years.

This also was the third mission of the year for ILS. The company?s other vehicle, the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Atlas rocket, successfully launched a satellite Saturday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

?We celebrate another success for Proton, and thank our customer, Eutelsat, for again placing its confidence in us,? said ILS President Mark Albrecht. ?This marks the seventh mission on an ILS vehicle for Eutelsat, and we?re proud to say they have all been flawless.?

The Proton vehicle lifted off at 4:06 a.m. local time (6:06 p.m. Monday EST, 23:06 GMT). In less than 10 minutes, the three-stage Proton vehicle finished its climb into space, leaving the Breeze M upper stage to continue the mission for the next nine hours. The Breeze M?s engine underwent five burns to place the W3A satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit at 1:16 p.m. Baikonur time (3:16 a.m. Tuesday EST, 08:16 GMT).

?Our congratulations to ILS for another flawless launch for Eutelsat, which follows six successful launches on the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral,? said Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat. ?W3A is the heaviest and most complex satellite yet launched for our company. Its ride into geostationary transfer orbit on the Proton/Breeze M will enable us to optimize the operational lifetime of W3A and take us to new levels of efficiency.?

When it enters service later this year, the W3A satellite will provide broadband, direct-to-home and other communications services to Eutelsat customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is an EADS Astrium Eurostar E3000 model satellite, the largest spacecraft launched to date for Eutelsat.

?Congratulations to ILS for the successful launch of the Proton, which put W3A in geostationary orbit this morning,? said Antoine Bouvier, CEO of EADS Astrium. ?It is a major event for us as it is the maiden launch of a Eurostar E3000 and the first to be launched by Proton.?

ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. ILS, based in McLean, Va., markets and manages all missions for Atlas and commercial missions on Proton.

Original Source: ILS News Release

Image credit: ILS
An International Launch Services (ILS) Atlas III rocket blasted off early this morning, successfully orbiting the MBSAT satellite for Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). This was the 70th consecutive successful flight of an Atlas vehicle, and the second launch of the year conducted by ILS, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) joint venture.

Liftoff was at 12:40 a.m. EST, and the SS/L 1300 model satellite separated from the rocket 29 minutes later. SS/L built the satellite and contracted with ILS to deliver it in orbit for Mobile Broadcasting Corp (MBCO) of Japan and SK Telecom of Korea. The state-of-the-art satellite will deliver digital multimedia information services such as CD-quality audio, MPEG-4 video and data to mobile users throughout Japan and Korea.

?This is a landmark launch for the Atlas team,? said ILS President Mark Albrecht. ?The Atlas rocket has a perfect record over more than a decade, but we?ll never get complacent. We still take it one launch at a time, and that discipline and dedication is what has given us the world?s most reliable vehicle.?

This was the fifth flight for the Atlas III vehicle, is one of three Atlas models currently being flown. It is a transitional vehicle between the Atlas II series that has been flying since 1991, and the powerful Atlas V, which made its debut successfully in 2002. The Atlas II, III and V families have achieved 100 percent success since mid-1993.

Albrecht noted that this is the 21st SS/L-built satellite launched by ILS vehicles, which include not only the Atlas family but also the Russian-built Proton rocket. ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin, which builds the Atlas rocket, and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which builds the Proton vehicles. ILS, based in McLean, Va., markets and manages all missions for Atlas and commercial missions on Proton. ILS offers the broadest range of launch services in the world along with products with the highest reliability in the industry.

Original Source: ILS News Release

Image credit: NASA
March 1, 2004, marks the 20th anniversary of operations of the NASA/USGS ‘workhorse’ satellite, Landsat 5. Landsat 5, launched on March 1, 1984, continues to provide important observations of the landmass of the planet and has established a record for reliability in the civilian space fleet.

When Landsat 5 was launched from Vandenberg Air Base in California, expectations were for two years of effective operations, with a goal of three years of data collections. Instead, after 100,000 orbits and the acquisition of over 29 million images, Landsat 5 continues to operate successfully.

“The longevity and importance of the Landsat 5 mission is nothing short of incredible,” said Darrel Williams, Landsat 7 Project Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. ” The imagery provided over it’s 20 year history has helped us to develop a far better understanding of the land surface features on our home planet, as well as how man has acted to modify those features. It has resulted in the creation of an unsurpassed “digital photo album” of Earth that will be repeatedly opened and reviewed by generations to come.”

Landsat 7 joined Landsat 5 in global observations in 1999. For four years the two earth observing satellites provided extensive, frequent coverage. “In May of 2003, Landsat 7 developed problems with the scan line corrector on the ETM+ sensor, stated Landsat Program manager Tracy Zeiler. “Since then, in addition to degraded Landsat 7 data, scientists have returned to relying on Landsat 5 observations. Landsat 5 has proven, again, to be a remarkably reliable source of information.”

The “workhorse” satellite continues to perform. While Landsat 5 continues to operate, Landsat Program managers are working on a replacement vehicle. The expected end-of -life, based on fuel reserves, is projected for early 2009. Until then, the NASA/USGS Landsat 5 will continue to provide records of a changing world.

For Additional Information on the Landsat Program, visit: http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Original Source: NASA News Release

Image credit: Starsem
The 1686th flight of a Soyuz family launch vehicle (Molnia) was performed Wednesday, February 18, 2004 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia at 10:05 a.m. Moscow time (8:05 a.m., in Paris).

Starsem and its Russian partners report that the governmental spacecraft was accurately placed on the target orbit.

The launch was performed in the presence of Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation.

This was the second Soyuz family mission in 2004. Last year, Soyuz was launched 10 times with 100% success and performed its first GTO mission with Israeli Amos 2 satellite. Ten Soyuz flights are planned for 2004.

Soyuz sustained launch rate confirms its position as one of the world’s primary launch vehicles. This rate also demonstrates Samara Space Center’s continuous production capacity, as well as the operational capability of launch teams at Baikonur under the authority of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.

Starsem is the Soyuz Company, bringing together all key players involved in the production, operation and international commercial marketing of the world’s most versatile launch vehicle. Shareholders in Starsem are Arianespace, EADS, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and the Samara Space Center.

The Starsem manifest for Soyuz missions currently includes contracted launches for the European Space Agency and Eumetsat.

Original Source: Starsem News Release

Image credit: Boeing
On the final mission for the program, a Boeing [NYSE:BA] Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) payload booster vehicle successfully deployed a U.S. Air Force Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite today.

The IUS-10 and its integrated payload, DSP-22, were launched aboard a Titan IV B rocket, which also flew with a Boeing-made fairing. Liftoff occurred at 1:50 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Upon separation from the rocket, IUS-10 fired its two stages to propel the spacecraft toward its geosynchronous orbit. Following roll maneuvers, the IUS successfully deployed the spacecraft.

?This last IUS mission added a critical asset to our nation?s military space program with the successful launch of DSP-22,? said Bill Benshoof, Boeing IUS program manager. ?The flight of IUS-10 concludes a 22-year journey for one of the most successful upper stages ever built and flown.?

The Boeing IUS program has supported national security, telecommunications and science missions with successful spacecraft deployments for the U.S. Department of Defense, the original Tracking and Data Relay Satellite constellation, and the Magellan, Galileo, Ulysses and Chandra missions for NASA.

Adding to the celebration of today?s successful last flight of the IUS, the Boeing IUS team received honors this week by the Air Force Association at the AFA?s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., for its significant contributions to the advancement of Air Force space activities in the last 50 years.

The Boeing IUS has been launched from the space shuttle and Titan IV rockets. There have been 24 IUS missions flown to date ? 15 launched from the shuttle and nine launched from the Titan IV.

A typical IUS mission launched from a Titan IV involves IUS separation from the rocket?s second stage booster approximately nine minutes into flight. The IUS takes over responsibility for the remainder of the powered portion of the flight.

For the next six hours and 45 minutes, the IUS autonomously performs all functions to place the spacecraft into its proper orbit.

The first IUS engine burn occurs a little over one hour into the IUS booster?s flight. The second solid rocket motor ignites about six-and-a-half hours into flight followed by a coast phase, and then, separation of the spacecraft.

IUS vehicle production was completed at Boeing in Kent, Wash. Spacecraft integration, checkout, ground operations and launch preparation activities were conducted at Cape Canaveral.

Boeing also produces the payload fairing for the Titan IV program. A 56-foot long fairing was used for the DSP-22 mission. Boeing-built fairings have flown on all 37 Titan IV launches to date and will fly aboard the remaining two Titan IV launches.

?This successful launch continues the 100 percent mission success record for the Titan IV payload fairing,? said Richard Peters, program manager and chief engineer, Boeing Titan fairing program.

The fairing for the DSP-22 mission was produced at Boeing in Huntington Beach, Calif., with the fairing?s thermal protection system applied at Boeing in Pueblo, Colo.

The Boeing IUS and Titan fairing programs are managed by Boeing Expendable Launch Systems in Huntington Beach.

The Defense Support Program is a satellite surveillance system providing the United States and its allies with ballistic missile early warning and other information related to missile launches, surveillance and the detonation of nuclear weapons.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world?s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world?s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world?s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA?s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.

Original Source: Boeing News Release

Image credit: CSA
Canada will transform the future of space-based data delivery and lead cutting-edge scientific research about space weather with the launch of its first multi-purpose satellite mission, today announced Stephen Owen, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, on behalf of Lucienne Robillard, Industry Minister and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and the Canadian Space Agency.

Called CASSIOPE, this mission will require the building of an innovative satellite platform adaptable for a wide range of assignments, including science, technology, Earth observation, geological exploration and high capacity information delivery. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) of Richmond, B.C., the prime contractor for CASSIOPE, will lead a Canadian industrial team to develop both the space and ground infrastructure and will operate the spacecraft.

“This mission is a vivid example of the strong economy the Government of Canada is striving to achieve for the 21st century, an economy with exciting applications on Earth and in space. This economy will provide well-paying and meaningful work for Canadians,” said Minister Robillard.

“The CASSIOPE mission demonstrates the compounding value of public-private sector partnership in driving leading-edge technologies and science in support of Canadian priorities,” said Minister Owen. “CASSIOPE will enhance the Canadian space industry’s leadership in information delivery from space and showcase our capacity to design innovative small and micro-satellites. It will also contribute to Canada’s longstanding expertise in atmospheric science.”

The Government of Canada is investing more than $140 million in the development of key technologies and stands to derive a substantial return on its investment if these technologies result in commercial success. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is providing $63 million and Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) $77.2 million.

“Our investment in the design of these new space satellites will increase Canadian knowledge and expertise, diversify our space industry and enhance the timely delivery of Canadian payloads on a more frequent basis,” said CSA President Marc Garneau.

Scheduled for launch in 2007, CASSIOPE will initiate the pilot-phase of a new information delivery service called Cascade that will allow very large amounts of information to be delivered to decision-makers anywhere in the world. Future missions could provide a groundbreaking commercial digital package delivery service, creating a veritable Courier-in-the-Sky to customers ranging from resource exploration companies to trade markets.

CASSIOPE will also include an innovative scientific probe carrying a suite of eight scientific instruments, called ePOP, developed by a scientific team led by the University of Calgary. This $10.3 million CSA-funded payload will collect new data and details on space storms in the upper atmosphere and their potentially devastating impacts on radio communications, GPS navigation, and other space-based technologies.

Original Source: CSA News Release

Image credit: ILS
International Launch Services (ILS) scored another success tonight, with the launch of the AMC-10 satellite on board a Lockheed Martin-built Atlas IIAS rocket.

The rocket lifted off at 6:46 p.m. from Cape Canaveral?s Space Launch Complex 36A, and placed the satellite into a transfer orbit 28 minutes later. The satellite is an A2100 model, built by Lockheed Martin for SES AMERICOM of Princeton, N.J. This was the first launch of the year for ILS. It also is one of four missions for SES AMERICOM on the ILS manifest this year.

?We are gratified and honored that such a prominent satellite operator as SES AMERICOM has signaled such confidence in our team,? said ILS President Mark Albrecht. ?Since the AMC-10 and AMC-11 satellites are two of a kind, we fully expect to be repeating another successful mission right here at the Cape in a few months? time.?

Albrecht noted the long-standing relationship with ILS and SES AMERICOM, and its parent company, SES GLOBAL. To date ILS has launched 15 satellites for companies affiliated with SES GLOBAL, including six for the SES AMERICOM fleet. ?With the SES family as the world?s largest satellite operator, it is no secret that we relish the fact that ILS is its largest launch services provider. We?re pleased to be welcoming them back again this year to both our launch sites ? at the Cape and in Kazakhstan ? for SES AMERICOM missions this year,? Albrecht said. Two SES AMERICOM satellites ? AMC-12 and AMC-15 ? are set to launch on Proton vehicles in 2004.

ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and Russian rocket builder Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. ILS markets and manages the missions on the Atlas rocket in the United States and on the Proton rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. ILS was formed in 1995, and is based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Dean Olmstead, president and CEO of SES AMERICOM, said: “The AMC-10 mission enables us to continue delivering the highest quality distribution services to the top-tier cable programmers who entrust us with more channels and their new high-definition services; in turn we have entrusted this satellite to ILS and its terrifically reliable Atlas IIAS launch vehicle. Our hope is that the AMC-11 launch planned for May will proceed just as flawlessly as tonight’s AMC-10 launch.”

Tonight?s rocket was the 27th flown in the Atlas IIAS configuration. Three more Atlas IIAS vehicles are scheduled to launch this year before the model is retired. ILS also has customers scheduled on Atlas III and Atlas V vehicles this year. The Atlas II, III and V series have achieved 100 percent success through 69 consecutive launches. The Atlas IIAS can lift 8,200 pounds to geosynchronous transfer orbit. The Atlas III can lift up to 9,920 pounds, and the current -production Atlas V is available in a range of configurations to lift payloads up to 19,000 pounds.

The Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Denver, Colo.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. The A2100 satellite is built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems in New Town, Pa., and Sunnyvale, Calif.

Original Source: ILS News Release