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ILS
Proton
Successfully
Launches
W2A
Satellite;
The
50th
ILS
Proton
Launch
4
April
2009
International
Launch
Services
(ILS),
successfully
carried
the
W2A
satellite
to
orbit
for
Eutelsat
Communications
of
France
on
an
ILS
Proton.
The
Proton
vehicle
lifted
off
from
the
Baikonur
Cosmodrome
at
10:24
p.m.
local
time
(12:24
p.m.
EDT,
16:24
GMT).
The
launch
of
the
W2A
satellite
marks
the
first
ILS
launch
of
the
year
and
the
50th
commercial
launch
overall
for
ILS;
a
significant
milestone.
The
Proton
Breeze
M
vehicle
is
built
by
Khrunichev
Space
Center
of
Moscow
and
has
a
heritage
of
344
missions
since
its
inception.
The
W2A
spacecraft
built
by
ThalesAleniaSpace,
is a
Spacebus
4000
C4
model
and
carried
three
payloads
including
the
first
S-band
payload
for
Europe.
The
W2A
C-band
and
Ku-band
payloads
for
Eutelsat
will
provide
Europe,
Africa
and
the
Middle
East
with
an
array
of
professional
video
and
business
services.
Solaris
Mobile
is a
joint
venture
between
SES
Astra
and
Eutelsat.
The
satellite,
the
27th
in
the
Eutelsat
fleet,
will
be
operated
at
Eutelsat’s
10
degrees
East
location,
an
orbital
location
used
by
Eutelsat
for
over
20
years.
Frank
McKenna,
President
of
International
Launch
Services,
said,
“This
50th
ILS
launch
marked
an
important
milestone
for
ILS.
ILS
Proton
for
W2A
met
Eutelsat’s
vital
schedule
requirements
with
unique
flexibility.
This
ILS
capability
ensured
the
landmark
delivery
of
the
first
S-band
service
for
Europe.
We
thank
our
long
term
customer
Eutelsat
for
relying
on
ILS
and
Proton
to
contribute
to
the
ongoing
success
of
their
business.”
“Eutelsat
congratulates
ILS
on
its
50th
Proton
launch;
we
are
pleased
to
share
the
honor
of
this
important
occasion.
ILS
was
able
launch
within
our
critical
timeframe
allowing
us
to
expand
and
diversify
our
in-orbit
resources.
We
extend
our
sincere
thanks
to
ILS
and
their
partner,
Khrunichev,
for
a
professionally
executed
and
successful
launch
campaign,"
said
Giuliano
Berretta,
Chairman
and
CEO
of
Eutelsat.
ILS
has
exclusive
rights
to
market
the
Proton,
Russia’s
premier
heavy-lift
vehicle,
to
commercial
satellite
operators
worldwide.
ILS
is a
U.S.
company
located
in
Reston,
Virginia,
near
Washington,
D.C.
The
majority
owner
is
Khrunichev
Space
Center,
one
of
the
cornerstones
of
the
Russian
space
industry
and
manufacturer
of
the
Proton
system.
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