International Launch Services (ILS), a world leader in providing mission and launch services to the commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the SkyTerra 1 satellite into orbit today on an ILS Proton for LightSquared of Reston, Virginia. This was the 7th commercial mission of the year for ILS and the 10th successful Proton launch of 2010. The ILS Proton launch of SkyTerra 1 was the first satellite launch for LightSquared.
The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the cosmodrome at 11:29 p.m. today local time (12:29 p.m. EST, 17:29 GMT) After a 9 hour 14 minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the SkyTerra 1 satellite, weighing over 5.3 metric tons, into geostationary transfer orbit. This was the 361st launch for Proton since its inaugural flight in 1965, and the 63nd ILS Proton launch overall. The Proton Breeze M launch vehicle was developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, one of the pillars of the Russian space industry and the majority shareholder in ILS.
The SkyTerra 1 satellite, to be located at 101.3 degrees West, was built on the Boeing 702HP platform designed for geomobile services with an estimated lifetime of fifteen years. The SkyTerra 1 satellite features a 22-meter L-band reflector-based antenna — the largest commercial antenna reflector to be put into service. SkyTerra 1 will be among the first to combine satellite and terrestrial technologies for use in standard handsets and other devices. The 4G-LTE network offered by SkyTerra 1 will also be the first to provide wireless coverage to 100% of the population of the United States.
“It is very exciting for ILS to be a key partner for the launch of the SkyTerra 1 satellite for LightSquared, the new innovator for wireless broadband. The entire team of ILS, Khrunichev, LightSquared and Boeing have been keenly focused on ensuring that the SkyTerra 1 mission was executed flawlessly and on schedule. We want to thank LightSquared for entrusting us with the critical launch of SkyTerra 1 on ILS Proton, as this company brings affordable 4G wireless broadband to the entire United States,” said ILS President Frank McKenna.
“At LightSquared, our goal is to revolutionize wireless communications and our timeline to do that is very aggressive. We knew we could count on ILS and ILS Proton to help us maintain a steady pace with an on-time launch. The ILS Proton launch of the SkyTerra 1 satellite is an important step toward bringing mobile wireless services that are accessible anytime, anywhere, throughout the United States. We are grateful to the entire team of dedicated professionals who worked on the SkyTerra 1 launch,” said Sanjiv Ahuja, Chairman and CEO of LightSquared.
About ILS and Khrunichev
ILS is a world leader in providing launch services for global satellite operators and offers a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, Va., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of 361 missions since 1965. To date, Proton has had 27 consecutive successful launches in 28 months. Khrunichev includes, among its branches, a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation. For more information, visit www.khrunichev.com.
About LightSquared
LightSquared’s mission is to revolutionize the U.S. wireless industry. Through the creation of the first-ever wholesale-only nationwide 4G-LTE network complemented by satellite coverage, LightSquared offers people the speed, value, and reliability of universal broadband connectivity, wherever they are in the United States. Through its wholesale-only business model, those without their own wireless network or who have limited geographic coverage or spectrum can develop and sell their own devices, applications, and services using LightSquared’s open 4G network–at a competitive cost and without retail competition from LightSquared. For further information about LightSquared, please go to www.LightSquared.com.
