23:03 GMT (7:03 pm EDT): End of the Breeze M first burn. The Inmarsat-4 F3 – Breeze M combination is now in a parking orbit. Four more burns of the Breeze M are now required until satellite separation in 8 hours and 43 minutes.
22:55 GMT (6:55 pm EDT): First firing of the Breeze M upper stage.
22:53 GMT (6:53 pm EDT): Successful shutdown of the third stage. The primary launch phase of the Proton is concluded. The satellite is now in a suborbital trajectory together with the Breeze M fourth stage, that will fire several times over the next 9 hours to achieve the correct orbit.
22:49 GMT (6:49 pm EDT): The payload fairing has been jettisoned.
22:48 GMT (6:48 pm EDT): Shutdown of the second stage and ignition of the third stage after 332 seconds of flight.
22:45 GMT (6:45 pm EDT): First stage shutdown and stage separation. Successful ignition of the second stage. The rocket passed 40 kilometers altitude.
22:44 GMT (6:44 pm EDT): The Proton passed the maximum dynamic pressure, Max-Q.
22:43 GMT (6:43 pm EDT): Liftoff of the Proton M rocket with the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite.
22:42 GMT (6:42 pm EDT): One minute until launch. The main engines will be ignited 2.5 seconds before liftoff to ensure proper operation.
22:38 GMT (6:38 pm EDT): 5 minutes remaining on the countdown. Start of the synchronized launch sequence. Launch control is switched to computers and power is transferring to internal sources.
22:33 GMT (6:33 pm EDT): 10 minutes until launch. Everything looks good so far.
17:43 GMT (1:43 pm EDT): We are 5 hours away from the launch of the telecommunications satellite Inmarsat-4 F3 on an International Launch Services’ Proton M rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The final countdown activities commenced.
The weather report looks good so far, winds are calm.
August 18, 2008: The Proton M rocket stands ready on the launch pad for the launch. It will be the third flight for ILS in 2008. The last launch, including the AMC-14 satellite, was a failure when the Breeze-M upper stage failed to re-ignite in March 2008.
Background:
The Proton M launch vehicle, utilizing a 5-burn Breeze M mission design, will lift off from Pad 39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, with the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite on board. The first three stages of the Proton will use a standard ascent trajectory to place the Breeze M fourth stage and the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite into a suborbital trajectory from which the Breeze M will then place itself and the spacecraft into a low Earth circular parking orbit. Once Inmarsat-4 F3 is in the parking orbit, it will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit following four additional burns of the Breeze M. Separation occurs approximately 9 hours, 3 minutes after liftoff.
Inmarsat-4 F3 is a telecommunications satellite for Inmarsat, London. It is manufactured by EADS Astrium based on the Eurostar 3000GM bus featuring an 80 square meter large unfurlable antenna reflector. It weighs approximately 5,960 kilograms at liftoff and will deliver various telecommunications services for at least 15 years.
The liftoff is scheduled for 22:43 GMT (6:43 pm EDT) on August 18, 2008.
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