Posted: Tue, Jul 10, 2012, 9:58 PM ET (0158 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully placed a communications satellite for European operator SES into orbit on Tuesday. The Proton-M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:38 pm EDT Monday (1838 GMT Monday, 12:38 am local time Tuesday) and released the SES-5 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit a little over nine hours later. The satellite, weighing 6,000 kilograms at launch, is a Space Systems/Loral 1300 series model carrying a payload of 24 C-band and 26 Ku-band transponders. SES will operate the satellite at 5 degrees east in GEO to provide communications services in portions of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In addition, SES-5 carries a European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) L-band transponder that will be used to improve the accruacy of satellite navigation services in Europe.
