BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the preparations and launch of the Russian Proton rocket carrying the Astra 1K broadcasting satellite. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

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   VIDEO: TECHNICAL OVERVIEW OF ASTRA 1K QT or RV
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2002
0600 GMT (1:00 a.m. EST)

International Launch Services has released the following statement:

International Launch Services regrets the failure of today's mission to put the ASTRA 1K satellite into proper orbit for SES-ASTRA.

The Proton K rocket, built by Khrunichev, lifted off on time at 4:04 a.m. today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (6:04 p.m. Monday EST, 2304 Monday GMT). All three stages of the Proton vehicle performed normally. The Block DM upper stage, built by RSC Energia, performed its first burn as planned and reached a circular parking orbit of 175.5 km (109 miles). Preliminary flight information indicates that the second burn of the Block DM upper stage did not occur as planned, and the ASTRA 1K satellite was separated into the parking orbit.

"We extend our sincerest condolences to SES-ASTRA and SES-GLOBAL for the apparent failure of the Block DM to place the ASTRA 1K satellite into the proper orbit," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "We have a long history of success with the SES-GLOBAL family of companies -- SES was the first commercial customer on Proton. We have several missions next year with SES companies, and we are comitted to providing timely, reliable service."

The Proton K vehicle has flown 24 other missions for ILS since 1996, all with the Block DM upper stage. A mission failure in December 1997 also involved the Block DM. The Proton family -- including the upgraded Proton M with the Khrunichev-built Breeze M upper stage -- has flown 26 consecutive successful missions since February 2000.

ILS' next scheduled Proton mission employs the Proton M with the Breeze M upper stage. The Breeze M has flown successfully eight times in various configurations.

A Russian State Commission is being formed to determine the reasons for the anomaly. ILS will provide details as soon as definitive information is available for release. A copy of the official statement from Khrunichev will also be made available upon translation. In parallel with the State Commission, ILS will form its own Failure Review Oversight Board to review reasons for the anomaly and define a corrective action plan.

"ILS will continue business as usual with its Lockheed Martin-built Atlas family of launch vehicles," Albrecht said. "We will work diligently with our partners to return the Block DM to flight as soon as possible for its few remaining missions on the ILS manifest."

ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) in the United States, with Russian companies Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC Energia. ILS provides launch services on the Proton and the Atlas vehicles to customers worldwide.

0550 GMT (12:50 a.m. EST)

FAILURE. International Launch Services has announced that the second burn of the Block DM upper stage suffered an anomaly, failing to deliver the Astra 1K spacecraft into the proper orbit tonight. ILS says the craft was released from the stage into the 109-mile parking orbit. A failure commission is being formed by Russian officials. This is the second ILS Proton failure in 25 flights.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2002
2322 GMT (6:22 p.m. EST)

T+plus 18 minutes. International Launch Services says that the first Block DM burn has been completed. The stage and Astra 1K are now in another coast period that will last nearly an hour.

Highlights of events yet to come will include two more firings by the Block DM. The first is scheduled for T+plus 73 minutes, 22 seconds to raise the altitude from the current low-altitude circular parking orbit to an egg-shaped loop reaching about 22,237 miles high at one end. The rocket will coast up to that high point before the second burn at T+plus 6 hours, 14 minutes that will raise the orbit's low end and reduce inclination from the equator.

Separation of Astra 1K to complete this launch is expected around T+plus 6 hours, 36 minutes with the satellite being deployed into orbit of 2,077 miles on the low end and 22,237 miles on the high end and inclination to 26.3 degrees to the equator.

2320 GMT (6:20 p.m. EST)

T+plus 16 minutes. Thrusters on the upper stage have been firing to settle the propellants in preparation for the upcoming first burn.

2318 GMT (6:18 p.m. EST)

T+plus 14 minutes. The upper stage and satellite payload should be on a ballistic trajectory, not yet in stable orbit around Earth. The upcoming burn will put the duo into space. A majority of Proton launches don't require this "extra" burn by the upper stage. Normally the three-stage Proton is able to loft the Block DM and satellite cargo into the parking orbit. But for today's launch the extra burn is necessary to reach a 109-mile circular orbit because of the heavier weight of Astra 1K.

2316 GMT (6:16 p.m. EST)

T+plus 12 minutes. ILS says the third stage engine cut off as expected. The stage then separated from the upper stage. Ignition of the Block DM is a few minutes away.

2314 GMT (6:14 p.m. EST)

T+plus 10 minutes. The third stage burn should have been completed by now, followed by separation from the Block DM upper stage. However, no word has been received from ILS.

2312 GMT (6:12 p.m. EST)

T+plus 8 minutes. Confirmation has now been received that the second stage engines shut down, the spent stage was jettisoned and the third stage has ignited. Also, the payload fairing enclosing the Astra 1K spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.

2310 GMT (6:10 p.m. EST)

T+plus 6 minutes. Second stage separation should have occurred, followed by third stage ignition. However, ILS has stopped its live commentary to show a video. We'll provide any additional information on the actual flight performance as it becomes available.

2308 GMT (6:08 p.m. EST)

T+plus 4 minutes. Thrust chamber pressures in the second stage engines reported normal.

2307 GMT (6:07 p.m. EST)

T+plus 3 minutes. Second stage engines reported up and running normally.

2306 GMT (6:06 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The first stage engines have shut down and the spent stage has separated. The four second stage engines have now ignited to continue the powered trek to space.

2305 GMT (6:05 p.m. EST)

T+plus 90 seconds. Just over a half-minute remaining in the first stage burn. System performance reported normal by launch officials.

2305 GMT (6:05 p.m. EST)

T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere. First stage systems reported steady.

2304 GMT (6:04 p.m. EST)

T+plus 30 seconds. The Proton rocket has performed its roll maneuver to achieve the proper launch heading for flight downrange. All six first stage liquid-fueled engines are up and burning. Thrust chamber pressures reported normal.

2304 GMT (6:04 p.m. EST)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the 25th ILS Proton rocket and the massive Astra 1K broadcasting spacecraft!

2303 GMT (6:03 p.m. EST)

T-minus 1 minute. Now 60 seconds away from launch of the Proton rocket and Astra 1K satellite. Ignition key has been activated.

The engine start command will be issued by the launch sequencer at T-minus 2.5 seconds. The six first stage engines will be ignited at T-minus 1.6 seconds and commanded to 40 percent thrust. The thrust level is increased to 107 percent at T-0.9 seconds. The liftoff confirmation is expected at T-0 seconds.

This engine start sequence allows for verification that all six powerplants are running normally before committing the Proton to launch.

2302 GMT (6:02 p.m. EST)

T-minus 2 minutes. The Block DM upper stage readiness for flight is now being verified. The motor is also switching to internal power.

2301 GMT (6:01 p.m. EST)

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The Proton is switching to internal power.

2300 GMT (6:00 p.m. EST)

T-minus 4 minutes and counting. The enable key of the launch sequencer is being turned to the "on" position as the countdown continues to liftoff at 2304 GMT.

2259 GMT (5:59 p.m. EST)

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. At this point in the count, the firing circuits for the Proton rocket are being energized.

2255 GMT (5:55 p.m. EST)

T-minus 9 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket's first three stages -- which comprise the "core vehicle" -- are being checked for final confirmation they are ready for launch.

2252 GMT (5:52 p.m. EST)

T-minus 12 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket weighs about 1.5 million pounds as it sits on the launch pad. The Alcatel-built Astra 1K spacecraft accounts for 11,570 pounds of the weight.

At launch the Proton's six first stage engines will fire together to propel the massive, 188-foot tall rocket into the predawn sky at Baikonur. It is currently 3:52 a.m. local time at the launch site.

2244 GMT (5:44 p.m. EST)

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. Officials report all systems remain ready for an on-time launch today at 2304 GMT. And the weather conditions are within limits.

The countdown is currently under computer sequencer control, which will continue through liftoff. The final software updates to the rocket's guidance computer were recently performed.

2234 GMT (5:34 p.m. EST)

T-minus 30 minutes and counting. A Russian Proton rocket is set for blastoff in a half-hour carrying the Astra 1K broadcasting spacecraft for SES ASTRA. The three-stage Proton core vehicle and Block DM upper stage are fully fueled, a process that began about six hours before launch time. And in the past 45 minutes, the launch pad's mobile service tower was rolled away from the rocket.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2002

What's being called the largest commercial communications satellite ever built -- a powerful craft to transmit digital TV and multimedia programming across Europe -- is awaiting its ride into space today aboard a Russian-made Proton rocket.

Liftoff from pad 23 at Baikonur Cosmodrome's Complex 81 in Kazakhstan is scheduled for 2304 GMT (6:04 p.m. EST).

The mission will mark the 25th Proton to fly under the banner of International Launch Services, the Russian/American joint venture formed in 1995 by Lockheed Martin, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC Energia to globally market Proton and U.S. Atlas rockets.

Built by Alcatel Space of France, the Astra 1K satellite tips the scales at 11,570 pounds at launch and stands 22 feet fall. Once fully deployed in orbit, the craft's power-generating solar wings will stretch 121 feet. It features 52 Ku-band transponders, two Ka-band transponders and 10 antenna reflectors and predicted 13kW end-of-life power.

Astra 1K will be used by SES ASTRA, operator of Europe's leading satellite TV broadcast system that reaches over 91 million homes across the continent. The new satellite will become the 14th in Astra fleet, which provides more than 1,100 analog and digital television and radio channels as well as multimedia and Internet services to subscribers.

Plans call for Astra 1K to be parked in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator at 19.2 degrees East longitude, ASTRA's primary location. It will be ready to replace three older satellites and become an in-orbit spare for four others.

The three-stage Khrunichev Proton K rocket will propel the Energia-made Block DM upper stage and attached Astra 1K spacecraft from the desert steppes of Central Asia on a sub-orbital trajectory during the first nine-and-a-half minutes of flight.

After the Block DM separates from the Proton's spent third stage, the motor will fire for over a minute to achieve a low-altitude parking orbit above the planet at an inclination of 51.6 degrees. A majority of Proton launches don't require this "extra" burn by the upper stage. Normally the three-stage Proton is able to loft the Block DM and satellite cargo into the parking orbit. But for today's launch, the extra burn is necessary to reach a stable 109-mile circular orbit because of the heavier weight of Astra 1K.

The Block DM and Astra 1K will orbit for almost an hour before the second firing is planned, a seven-minute burn that will raise one side of the orbit to geostationary altitude of about 22,237 miles.

The duo will then coast up to the high point of the orbit where the third and final Block DM firing of the launch is planned. Ignition of the minute-and-a-half burn is expected at about T+plus 6 hours and 14 minutes, raising the orbit's low point to about 2,077 miles and lowering the orbital inclination to 26.3 degrees to the equator.

Astra 1K will be deployed from the upper stage at about T+plus 6 hours and 36 minutes. The satellite will later fire its onboard engine to circularize the orbit to geostationary altitude and reduce inclination to zero.

Watch this page for live play-by-play updates during the final countdown and launch.