14:02 GMT (9:02 am EST): End of the Breeze M first burn. The Ciel II – 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 53 minutes.
13:55 GMT (8:55 am EST): First firing of the Breeze M upper stage.
13:53 GMT (8:53 am EST): 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.
13:49 GMT (8:49 am EST): The payload fairing has been jettisoned.
13:48 GMT (8:48 am EST): Shutdown of the second stage and ignition of the third stage after 332 seconds of flight.
13:45 GMT (8:45 am EST): First stage shutdown and stage separation. Successful ignition of the second stage. The rocket passed 40 kilometers altitude.
13:44 GMT (8:44 am EST): The Proton passed the maximum dynamic pressure, Max-Q.
13:43 GMT (8:43 am EST): Liftoff of the Proton M rocket with the Ciel II satellite.
13:42 GMT (8:42 am EST): One minute until launch. The main engines will be ignited 2.5 seconds before liftoff to ensure proper operation.
13:38 GMT (8:38 am EST): 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.
13:33 GMT (8:33 am EST): 10 minutes until launch. Everything looks good so far.
8:43 GMT (3:43 am EST): We are 5 hours away from the launch of the telecommunications satellite Ciel II 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.
December 10, 2008: The Proton M rocket stands ready on the launch pad for the launch. It will be the sixth flight for ILS in 2008.
Background:
The Proton M launch vehicle, utilizing a five-burn Breeze M mission design, will lift off from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The first three stages of the Proton will use a standard ascent trajectory to place the Breeze M fourth stage and the Ciel II satellite into a suborbital trajectory. From there the Breeze M will place itself and the spacecraft into a circular parking orbit. Following four additional burns of the Breeze M, the satellite will be injected into a geostationary transfer orbit. Separation will occur at approximately L+9 hours, 12 minutes.
Ciel II is a telecommunications satellite for Ciel Satellite Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is manufactured by Thales Alenia Space based on the Spacebus 4000 C4 bus. It weighs approximately 5,561 kilograms at liftoff and will deliver various telecommunications services for at least 16 years. It has 32 Ku-band transponders.
The liftoff is scheduled for 13:43 GMT (8:43 am EST) on December 10, 2008.
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