Inmarsat Launch Date Confirmed
15 Aug 2008
Rescheduled Inmarsat launch confirmed
International Launch Services (ILS) has confirmed that the delayed launch of the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite has been rescheduled for August 19th at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
This represents a delay of just five days from the previously announced date of August 14th. The Proton Breeze M vehicle will liftoff from launch pad 39 at 04:43 Baikonur Standard Time (22:43 August 18 GMT and 18:43 August 18 EDT).
Once this satellite is in place, Inmarsat will have completed the three-satellite network required to bring its flagship FleetBroadband service global.
The first three stages of the Proton will use a standard ascent trajectory to place the Breeze M fourth stage and the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite into a suborbital trajectory, from which the Breeze M will then place itself and the spacecraft into a low Earth circular parking orbit.
Once Inmarsat-4 F3 is in the parking orbit, it will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit following four additional burns of the Breeze M. Separation will occur approximately 9 hours, 3 minutes after liftoff.
ILS has said that a live webcast of the launch, and general mission information, will be available on the ILS web site at www.ilslaunch.com.