BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the countdown and launch of the Russian Proton rocket carrying the MEASAT 3 communications satellite. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006

Asia's newest communications satellite blasted off from frigid Kazakhstan Monday to begin a 15-year mission to beam a variety of services directly to homes and offices across the world's most populous continent.

Read our full story.

1002 GMT (5:02 a.m. EST)

SUCCESS. ILS has announced that the MEASAT 3 has been successfully deployed from the upper stage at the end of the launch sequence.

0420 GMT (11:20 p.m. EST Mon.)

Both the third and fourth firings by the Breeze M upper stage have been performed as planned, propelling MEASAT 3 ever closer to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The rocket is flying in a highly elliptical orbit with its high point at geosynchronous altitude about 22,200 miles above Earth, but with a low point of about 250 miles and inclination of 49 degrees to the equator. The one remaining burn will raise that low point to roughly 4,500 miles and greatly reduce inclination to 16.5 degrees.

0145 GMT (8:45 p.m. EST Mon.)

The second burn by the upper stage were performed as planned. The engine firing was designed to boost the rocket out of its initial parking orbit and into a higher intermediate orbit.

0025 GMT (7:25 p.m. EST Mon.)

The Breeze M motor did complete its first burn, ILS confirms.

The upper stage and MEASAT 3 have entered a coast period that will last until T+plus 68 minutes when the stage re-ignites for a 17-minute firing. A third burn will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 29 minutes and last for 12 minutes. Following completion of its third burn of the mission, the Breeze M will jettison its emptied Additional Propellant Tank. The stage then restarts at T+plus 3 hour, 42 minutes for a five-minute burn. A final eight-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 50 minutes.

The 10,500-pound MEASAT 3 spacecraft will be deployed into its targeted geosynchronous transfer orbit with a low point of 4,573 miles, a high point of about 22,236 miles and an inclination of 16.5 degrees.

Separation of the satellite from the upper stage to complete the launch is expected at T+plus 9 hours and 12 minutes. That is Tuesday morning at 0840 GMT (3:40 a.m. EST).

We'll update this page as information about the mission's progress becomes available.

Today's Proton launch will be featured on our free video podcast. Sign up to receive it via iTunes. Watch yesterday's podcast.

2348 GMT (6:48 p.m. EST)

T+plus 20 minutes. We're awaiting word that the Breeze M motor's first burn was completed successfully. Live telemetry simply isn't available for officials to confirm the firing.

2341 GMT (6:41 p.m. EST)

T+plus 12 minutes. The third stage engine cutoff has occurred and the spent stage separated. The Breeze M upper stage and attached MEASAT 3 spacecraft were placed on a suborbital trajectory in preparation for the first of five planned firings by the upper stage to reach geosynchronous transfer orbit over the next nine hours.

The Breeze M should be firing now. However, the rocket is out of range from live tracking coverage. So confirmation of this first burn won't be available in real-time.

2337 GMT (6:37 p.m. EST)

T+plus 9 minutes. The time of third stage burn out is nearing.

2335 GMT (6:35 p.m. EST)

T+plus 7 minutes. ILS just announced the second stage was jettisoned, the Proton third stage ignited and the payload fairing enclosing the spacecraft atop the rocket separated a little while ago.

2333 GMT (6:33 p.m. EST)

T+plus 5 minutes. Coming up on burnout and separation of the second stage.

2332 GMT (6:32 p.m. EST)

T+plus 4 minutes. A nominal flight of Proton according to mission officials.

2331 GMT (6:31 p.m. EST)

T+plus 3 minutes. Proton's second stage engines continue to fire.

2330 GMT (6:30 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minutes, 15 seconds. The first stage engines have shut down and the spent stage has separated. The four second stage engines have ignited to continue boosting the vehicle to space.

2329 GMT (6:29 p.m. EST)

T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its ascent through the atmosphere.

2328 GMT (6:28 p.m. EST)

T+plus 30 seconds. All six liquid-fueled engines on the first stage are firing as the rocket maneuvers to the proper heading for its climb to space.

2328 GMT (6:28 p.m. EST)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Proton rocket and MEASAT 3 communications satellite for Malaysia!

2326 GMT (6:26 p.m. EST)

T-minus 2 minutes. The countdown is being run by a master computer sequencer.

2323 GMT (6:23 p.m. EST)

T-minus 5 minutes. The launch readiness of the Proton core vehicle and Breeze M upper stage is verified over the last minutes in the countdown. The MEASAT spacecraft is confirmed on internal power and ready for liftoff.

2321 GMT (6:21 p.m. EST)

T-minus 7 minutes. Weather conditions are acceptable for the robust Proton rocket. The temperature is -15 degrees C at Baikonur.

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

T-minus 10 minutes. This will be the 323rd Proton rocket launch and the 39th under the management of International Launch Services. And it marks the fourth and final ILS Proton of the year.

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

No problems are being reported in the countdown.

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

MEASAT 3 is a Boeing 601 HP satellite that will be operated by MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is equipped with 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders.

Following today's launch, the craft will join two earlier MEASAT spacecraft in orbit to serve the Asia-Pacific region with television broadcasting and telecommunications.

Controllers will co-locate the craft with MEASAT 1 at 91.5 degrees East longitude.

2258 GMT (5:58 p.m. EST)

T-minus 30 minutes. The countdown is proceeding at Baikonur Cosmodrome for today's launch of the Proton rocket carrying the MEASAT 3 communications satellite for Malaysia.

The mission is managed by International Launch Services, the commercial marketing firm for Russian Proton rocket.

Liftoff is scheduled for 2328 GMT (6:28 p.m. EST).

The Proton first stage's six RD-275 engines will ignite at liftoff to push the 20-story rocket away from Earth on two million pounds of thrust. After first stage separation two minutes into flight, four engines aboard the second stage fire for three-and-a-half minutes before shutting down and jettisoning. The Proton's third stage then cames to life for its four-minute job, during which time the protective payload fairing shielding MEASAT will separate.

The Breeze M upper stage then takes over for a series of maneuvers over nine hours to reach geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The Boeing-built MEASAT 3 will provide C-band coverage over more than 100 countries and Ku-band coverage to over 160 million TV households in Malaysia, Indonesia and South Asia.