Angela Pecsi. March 2014. Entry #8.

Proton delivers a pair of Ekspress satellites Published: March 16

Russia's commercial workhorse rocket successfully delivered a pair of communications birds into orbit for the nation's main operator. A Proton-M/Briz-M launch vehicle lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome's Pad 24 at Site 81 on March 16, 2014, at 03:08 Moscow Time (7:08 p.m. EST on February 15). The rocket carried Ekspress-AT1 and Ekspress-AT2 communications satellites for Russian Satellite Communications Company, RSCC. The first, second and third stages of the launch vehicle used a standard ascent profile to place the payload section including Briz-M upper stage and the two satellites into a sub-orbital trajectory. The separation of the payload section from the third stage took place at 03:17 Moscow Time, Roskosmos announced. According to the agency, Ekspress-AT1 satellite separated from Briz-M into a planned orbit at 12:10 Moscow Time on March 16 (4:10 a.m. EST). Ekspress-AT2 was also successfully released 18 minutes later, the agency said. According to Roskosmos, it was 395th mission of the Proton rocket and the launch was fully successful. More on the subject: Updated, March 16: Proton missions in 2014 | Proton rocket home page | Ekspress satellite family | Russian communications satellites |

Source: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/
Proton delivers a pair of Ekspress satellites Russia's commercial workhorse rocket successfully delivered a pair of communications birds into orbit for the nation's main operator. Previous Proton mission: Turksat-4A

Above: Proton lifts off with Ekspress-AT1 and AT2 satellites on March 16, 2014.

Flight profile A Proton-M/Briz-M launch vehicle lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome's Pad 24 at Site 81 on March 16, 2014, at 03:08:00 Moscow Time (7:08 p.m. EST on February 15). The rocket carried Ekspress-AT1 and Ekspress-AT2 communications satellites for Russian Satellite Communications Company, RSCC. The payload section, comprized of Briz-M stage and a pair of satellites, separated from the third stage of Proton at 03:17 Moscow Time, Roskosmos announced. Briz-M was expected to conduct four engine firings during the mission. According to Roskosmos, Ekspress-AT1 satellite separated from Briz-M into a planned orbit at 12:10 Moscow Time on March 16 (4:10 a.m. EST). The satellite was left in a geostationary transfer orbit and would use its own propulsion system to enter its operational orbit at 56 degrees East longitude over the Equator. Ekspress-AT2 was also successfully released 18 minutes later, the agency said. It was to be positioned at 140 degrees East longitude in the geostationary orbit. According to Roskosmos, it was 395th mission of the Proton rocket and the launch was a complete success. The spacecraft

The Ekspress-AT1 satellite was built at ISS Reshetnev in Zheleznogorsk, Russia, and had a mass of 1,800 kilograms, according to Roskosmos (1,672 kilograms according to ISS Reshetnev). They based on the company's standard Ekspress-1000Nplatform. The satellite carried 32 Ku-band main transponders and eight backup transponders. It was expected to operate in orbit no less than 15 years providing TV services across western and central Russia, western and central Siberia and most territory of Kazakhstan. The Ekspress-AT2 spacecraft was based on the ISS Reshetnev's standard Ekspress1000K satellite bus. It had a mass of 1,250 kilograms according to Roskosmos (1,326 kilograms according to ISS Reshetnev). It carried 16 Ku-band main transponders and four backups. With a projected life span of no less than 15 years, the satellite was designed to provide TV services across eastern Russia. As of 2010, one Russian and one Western operator was expected to use satellites' communication capacities. Mission history The mission was originally expected in September 2012. The launch was then expected in the third quarter 2013, however by October 2013, it was postponed to 2014. By the beginning of that year, the mission was scheduled for March 4. By February, the mission was delayed until March 16. The launch vehicle with the spacecraft was rolled out to the launch pad on March 12, 2014.

Date: 2014 March 16. Source: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/ekspress_at1_at2.html My discussion and opinion. I see this specific type of spacecraft interesting because it carried the communications devices into orbit for the nation's main operator successfully, which in my opinion is a positive aspect for space technology with a beneficial purpose for the people in the territories named in the article, such as eastern, western, and central Russia, the western and central regions of Siberia and most territory of Kazakhstan, providing them with media services with their so called Ekspress-AT1 and Ekspress-AT2 satellites. Now, I think the article lacks of precise information when saying that it was launched successfully; what is the reason for this if the mission was postponed many times? Could it have been possibly the weather the consequence of this issue? However, I consider a fascinating fact that the vehicle Proton-M/Briz-M left its assigned satellites in a geostationary transfer orbit, a circular orbit above the Earths equator which follows the direction of Earths rotation where most communications and weather satellites are operated. A geostationary satellite must be at least 22,300 miles (35,680 km) high, and it is curious to know that a satellite at this height is able to orbit at the same speed as Earths rotation, consequently, it could stay over an area of the Earth at all times. Another point that caught my attention is the

mission history, it was originally expected to be launched into orbit in September 2012 but, it was delayed and it finally became a success on March 2014. It is a long time they waited. The fact that the rocket is called a workhorse in the article impresses me because it means it has been used for a lot of work, and so it had to be built with powerful engine. I am also influenced by the mass of both the Ekspress-AT1 and Ekspress-AT2 spacecrafts; as an example, about 2 tons for the former, comparing it to the weight of two trucks. For me, I think it amazing that such light mass satellites could be sent to operate in space carrying several number of transponders to orbit, because I had the idea that this type of technology would weight even more since they are designed to work outside the Earth in a less common environment, not as the one we already are used to know well in our planet. The word bus used to describe one of the satellites makes me wonder what kind of model they are referring to. And also, they state that as of 2010, one Russian and one Western operator was expected to use satellites' communication capacities; where does this Western operator belongs to and could it be one for a media company as well? Research: Dictionary.com http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_bus Asimov, Isaac, Library of the universe, Rockets, probes, and satellites, Childrens ed. (Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, Inc., 1988).