ILS - Astra 2G Launch Mission poster.
December27, 2014
Proton-M carrying Astra 2G liftoff
International Launch Services (ILS) has conducted its final launch of the year, with the Russian Proton-M launching the ASTRA 2G satellite from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch is took place at 21:37 GMT on Saturday, ahead of over nine hours of flight to spacecraft separation.
Launch of Russian Proton-M with Astra 2G
The Proton booster is 4.1 m (13.5 ft) in diameter along its second and third stages, with a first stage diameter of 7.4 m (24.3 ft). Overall height of the three stages of the Proton booster is 42.3 m (138.8 ft).
The Proton vehicle has a deep heritage, as it passed the 400 launch mark this year – a total that ranges back to its inception in 1965.
Breeze-M upper-stage ignition
Satellite Use: ASTRA 2G is the third spacecraft of a three satellite investment program (ASTRA 2E, 2F, and 2G) that SES contracted with Airbus Defence and Space in order to provide replacement as well as incremental satellite capacity in the orbital arc of 28.2/28.5 degrees East. ASTRA 2G carries 62 Ku-band transponders as well as 4 Ka-band transponders. The different beams provide wide coverage over the UK and Ireland, Europe and West Africa.
ASTRA 2G satellite
The ASTRA 2G satellite will also support SATMED, an e-health platform conceived by SES and supported by the Luxembourg Government and the Ministry for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action is a satellite based communication solution aimed to improve public health in emerging and developing countries.
For more information about International Launche Services (ILS), visit: http://www.ilslaunch.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: ILS / Gunter Soace Page / Orbiter.ch Aerospace.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
