International Launch Services (ILS), a launch services provider for the global commercial satellite industry, successfully carried the SES-3 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit on July 16, the company said. This was the first commercial shared launch for ILS; the SES-3 satellite was paired with the KazSat-2 satellite to serve Kazakhstan, according to a press release.
The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center built the KazSat-2 satellite now in orbit.
This was the 365th launch for Proton since its inaugural flight in 1965, and the 66th ILS Proton launch. The Proton Breeze M launch vehicle was developed and built by Khrunichev of Moscow, a leader in the Russian space industry and the majority shareholder in ILS.
The SES-3 satellite was built on Orbital’s [ORB] Star 2.4 platform and will replace SES’ existing AMC-1 satellite and will provide continuity of service to the enterprise, government and media sectors from the center of the North American arc. The satellite will also be powering private networks and thousands of VSATs (very small aperture terminals) for the enterprise community.
Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, stated, “The successful ILS Proton launch of SES-3 marks an important event for SES’ North American customers as the new satellite will provide seamless continuity to some of our key customers for the next decade and beyond. SES would like to thank ILS and Orbital for a mission delivered on time and according to specifications. Timely access to space is of utmost importance to SES, as we implement the satellite industry’s most important satellite replacement and fleet expansion program.”