International Launch Services has been forced to delay the launch of SES’ Astra-2G spacecraft that was scheduled for 28 November due to an issue with the upper stage of its Proton rocket.
It is the latest setback for the Proton which only returned to…
International Launch Services has been forced to delay the launch of SES‘ Astra-2G spacecraft that was scheduled for 28 November due to an issue with the upper stage of its Proton rocket.
It is the latest setback for the Proton which only returned to flight in September after being grounded earlier this year following a launch failure in May.
In a statement ILS attributed the postponement to the “off-nominal operation of the Breeze M upper stage gyro unit during planned pre-flight testing”.
ILS said it would now have to remove and replace the affected gyro unit before it could launch the craft. The company did not give any guidance on how long that process would take and said that it was currently determining its future launch schedule.
Proton’s problems have so far pushed back the launch of Astra-2G by at least six months. In its Q3 results published on 31 October SES said the delay meant it had to revise its revenue estimates, and that there will now be no revenue recognised from Astra-2G until the next financial year.
ILS’ next mission is to loft Gazprom Space Systems’ Yamal-401 satellite in December.
Following that its plans to launch Inmarsat’s next-generation Inmarsat-5 F2 and F3 satellites early next year, to complete Inmarsat’s Global Xpress constellation.
When asked for comment Inmarsat said it remained confident that the F2 will launch early in the New Year, shortly followed by F3, and that it is on track for to commence global commercial Global Xpress services early in the second half of 2015.
Construction of both birds has been completed by Boeing and they are now waiting to be shipped to the ILS launch facility at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Inmarsat had already previously warned shareholders in its Q3 results released on 6 November that the potential “broadening of Russian trading restrictions could cause unspecified launch delays and delay global coverage of our Global Xpress services, which could adversely affect our revenues, profitability and results of operations”.
Two steps forward, one step back
It is not the first time ILS has had difficulties with the Proton’s upper stage. Issues with the rocket’s third stage were to blame for the failed Federal launch of RSCC’s Express-AM4R satellite in May, while the Breeze M was fingered as the cause of the original Express-AM4 in August 2011.
In an interview with SatelliteFinance at the start of this year ILS CEO Phil Slack said his company had been conducting a reliability study into the Breeze M and that it would likely be completed this year.
Proton’s manufacturer, Khrunichev, has been carrying out a detailed subsystem review of the Breeze M to identify and mitigate any potential issues associated with the design, manufacturing, assembly, testing and operation of the rocket.
The workhorse launcher successfully returned to flight on 28 September with the federal launch of the Luch relay satellite. This was followed by RSCC’s Express-AM6 satellite on 21 October. While that launch also appeared to be successful, rumours from Russia suggested the bird had not been placed in its intended orbital slot.
Though people close to the situation said that the orbital injection of the spacecraft was within normal parameters and no insurance claim has been made by RSCC, the state-owned satellite operator subsequently announced that Express-AM6 would not become operational until 1 July 2015, rather than Q1 2015 as previously stated.
