ILS Proton Successfully Launches EchoStar XIV For DISH
International Launch Services (ILS), a leading mission and launch services provider for the global commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the EchoStar XIV satellite into orbit today on an ILS Proton for DISH Network L.L.C., the fastest growing pay-TV provider in America. This was the second ILS Proton launch and the fourth overall Proton launch this year. The EchoStar XIV satellite was also the 21st consecutive successful Proton launch in 20 months and the first commercial flight of the enhanced Phase III Proton. The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the Cosmodrome at 00:27 today local time (14:27 EDT, 18:27 GMT). After a nine-hour, 10-minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the EchoStar XIV satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite, weighing more than 6.3 metric tons, is the heaviest satellite launched on ILS Proton to date. Read more
Russian Proton rocket carries American satellite to orbit
The Russian space vehicle Proton-M launched from Baikonur on Saturday has successfully put the EchoStar-14 American communication satellite into the planned orbit. EchoStar-14 separated from the Briz-M booster at 06:37 Moscow time, a Roskosmos Federal Space Agency source reported. Read more