OREANDA-NEWS. August 14, 2009. A Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully put the AsiaSat 5 satellite into orbit today. The Khrunichev–built Proton Breeze M launcher, carrying the AsiaSat 5 satellite for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Ltd (AsiaSat), launched from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, reported the press-centre of Khrunichev.
 
The lift off of the launch vehicle was nominal. The Proton’s Ascent Unit (the Breeze M upper stage and the attached payload) separation from the Proton third stage booster occurred successfully and on schedule. Next, the Breeze M conducted four ignitions, boosting the AU into a target orbit. After a 9 hour 15 minute mission the Breeze M successfully released the satellite into orbit. Control over the satellite was passed to its customer. Built by Space Systems/Loral, AsiaSat 5, weighing over 3.7 metric tons, will replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East. This new satellite with an enhanced pan Asian C-band footprint and high-power Ku-band beams over East Asia, South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable Ku beam,  will provide advanced satellite services including television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks for broadband multimedia services across the Asia Pacific. The satellite is designed for a lifespan of 15 years.
 
International Launch Services Inc. (ILS)  has been awarded a contract for launching the AsiaSat-5 satellite on a Proton M rocket for AsiaSat. This was the 4th Proton mission of the year for ILS and the 53rd ILS Proton launch overall since the Proton April 1996 first commercial flight. The AsiaSat-5 is the 12th Space Systems/Loral-built satellite launched on a Proton vehicle. This was the third Proton launch for AsiaSat.
 
In addition, this was the sixth Proton launch of this year, which  followed five other successful missions (a dual launch with Express AM44 and Express MD1 satellites in support of RF Federal program, followed by another Russia’s launch with military payload; and three ILS Proton missions to orbit the W2A, IndoStar II/ProtoStar I and Sirius FM5 communications spacecraft).
 
With the AsiaSat-5, so far there have been a total of 9 launches using the Khrunichev-built launch vehicles in this year.  Out of which the Proton was used in six launches, and the Rockot performed two missions (a commercial mission with ESA’s GOCE satellite and a multiple payload launch with three Russian military satellites). Also, a Russian military spacecraft with  Sterkh small spacecraft ( as an additional payload)  were put into orbit onboard Kosmos 3M launcher.