* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: AMERICOM 14 Launch

Blobrana · L

The Russian State Commission investigating the AMC-14 failure of a Proton Breeze M launch has traced the cause to the rupture of the gas duct between the gas generator and the propellant pump turbine in the Breeze M main engine.

Read more

-- Edited by Blobrana at 17:29, 2008-04-21

Blobrana · L

SES S.A. announced that SES AMERICOM, its North American subsidiary, has declared to insurers that its recently launched satellite AMC-14 is now considered a total loss, due to a lack of viable options to reposition the satellite to its proper geostationary orbit.

Read more

The AMC-14 satellite was launched aboard a Proton M rocket on March 15, but could not reach a geosynchronous transfer orbit when the Breeze M upper stage shut down prematurely.

Blobrana · L

Americom officials have announced that the AMC-14 is healthy and orbiting in a stable orbit.
Lockheed Martin engineers are trying to raise the orbit of the satellite so that it can occupy the 61.5 deg. W. Long. geostationary orbit slot that was allocated. However, the fuel used to boost the orbit would naturally reduce the overall lifespan of the Satellite.

Blobrana · L

Expand (94kb, 854 558)

TLE Data

AMERICOM 14
1 32708U 08011A   08077.62774428 -.00000162  00000-0  00000+0 0    48
2 32708 049.2056 170.6826 6423052 356.3895 000.5912 03.07366804    69

Blobrana · L

AMC-14 Launch Mission Profile

Click to Play | View Details

Blobrana · L

A Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off on time at 5:18 a.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the AMC-14 satellite for SES AMERICOM and its customer, EchoStar Corporation.
However, Khrunichev and International Launch Services have announced that the Proton mission with the AMC-14 satellite suffered an anomaly during the second burn of the Breeze M upper stage; resulting in the satellite failing to reach the planned orbit.

Blobrana · L

The satellite will occupy an orbital slot at 61.5 degrees west.

Live webcast

Blobrana · L

An ILS Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage is to launch the Lockheed Martin-built AMERICOM 14 communications spacecraft, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 23:18 GMT, March 14th 2008.