The launch of Proton-M rocket with Briz-M upper stage and Thor 5 satellite from Baikonur cosmodrome is scheduled in February 2008...
According to
http://kz-today.kz/index.php?lang=rus&uin=1138536794&chapter=1153433735 (in Russian), the assembly of blocks and stages of Proton-M rocket has begun today...
The delivery of Thor 5 satellite is planned in January 2008...
Images below are from Roskosmos website...
The official launch date is February 10...
Nice pictures, I have been under the impression that those "side tanks with engines" are an integral part of Proton's first stage but it seems they are detachable (easier transport ?). Interesting !
Yeah, otherwise they couldn't be transported by rail. So it's quite a nice layout, a central oxidizer tank, and six seperate propellant tanks that are attached at the launch site.
Press Release from ILS website
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The team's all here
Posted by : ILS Launch Team in Baikonur, 3:26 a.m. MT on 14 January 2008
Over the past several days we have grown from an Early Team of 30 to a Main Team of 58 members. This surge was facilitated by a private charter on 11 January, which brought in most of the new crew, as well as the 12 January arrival of an Antonov-124 aircraft carrying our THOR 5 spacecraft, equipment and a handful of additional team members. A winter landing in Baikonur is not an experience to be taken lightly, as a plume of snow rises from behind the recently touched-down aircraft. We arrived at the airfield in the afternoon to meet the Antonov and greet our newcomers. Most of the team spent the rest of the day at the airfield unloading our spacecraft (which endured the journey snug in its custom container) and three Sea-Land containers containing equipment and supplies for the campaign. All containers were loaded onto a train for the trip to the processing facility. The members who arrived with the Antonov were quickly ushered back to our hotel for some much-needed rest, as were those of us who were needed very early the next morning for the offload at the facility.
The offload of the spacecraft and Sea-Land containers at the processing facility (Building 92A-50) began at 1 a.m. the following day. This task was expeditiously completed in just three hours by the skilled crews of Khrunichev and Orbital. The Sea-Land containers were then moved into Hall 103 for storage and unpacking. The spacecraft container was left in Integration Hall 101, where it arrived, so that it and its valuable THOR 5 payload could slowly be brought up to room temperature. This is done to ensure that the spacecraft does not endure any unneeded thermal shock or condensation. With the spacecraft resting comfortably after its long journey it was time for the rest of us to sleep, as the next day we would undertake the process of carefully removing it from its container.
The Khrunichev-built Breeze M upper stage that will be used for the THOR 5 launch arrived today at the launch site, on an Antonov AN 124-100 cargo plane. The team is in the process of moving it to Assembly and Testing Building 92A-50 for prelaunch preparations.
With the Breeze M’s arrival, all key components – the core Proton rocket, its upper stage and the spacecraft – are now at the launch site. During the next week and a half, the operations with the launcher and the spacecraft will be performed independently by different teams in the same building. Then joint operations, including mating the satellite to the launcher, will begin.
http://www.ilslaunch.com/ils/breeze-m-delivered/
FROM WWW.ILSLAUNCH.COM
Unpacking the Spacecraft
Posted by : ILS Launch Team in Baikonur, 1:52 p.m. Baikonur on 17 January 2008
Beginning late on Sunday, and carrying on through the early hours of Monday, the team undertook the task of unpacking the THOR 5 spacecraft from its container. It was necessary to complete this process quickly, as the THOR team had to be out of Processing Hall 101 Monday morning to make way for a Russian satellite coming into the same hall. That spacecraft, Express, is scheduled to be launched Jan. 28 in the first flight for Proton in 2008.
The unpacking process began with the removal of the lid of the spacecraft container. The spacecraft had been wrapped in special blankets to protect it from any possible contamination during its journey to Baikonur. Next, the blankets were carefully removed and our team got its first look at THOR 5 at the Cosmodrome. At this point a few satellite specialists inspected the spacecraft for any signs of damage. As expected, no damage was found, so we commenced removing our valuable package from its container.
The spacecraft made the trip in the horizontal position. In order to remove it from the container, it had to be rotated to a vertical position, which was carefully and successfully completed by the team from Orbital. Now in its vertical position, THOR 5 was ready to be lifted by crane from its container and transferred a few feet onto a rolling dolly, where it will spend the next many days undergoing tests of all its critical systems. This is a period we refer to as Standalone Operations, where the spacecraft manufacturer, Orbital, performs tests on and ultimately fuels the spacecraft in anticipation of mating it with the Breeze M/Proton M launch vehicle.
At Baykonur continues the works on the Briz-M upper stage that will be used to launch the Thor-5 communications satellite.
Images are from
here.
04.02.2008 launch of rocket with the communication satellite Thor 2R is planned on 10 February.
http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=2844 At the spaceport Baikonur continues the preparation for the starting of space rocket "Proton-m with the starting block" Breeze- M "and the telecommunication automatic spacecraft Thor 2R.
Today in the assembly and testing housing of the area of 9?-shch0 is conducted the transfer of rocket to the transporter-erector aggregate, and final procedures on the carrier rocket are performed. After the completion of works, the carrier rocket will be transported to the technical servicing station for servicing of the tanks of the low pressure of starting block "Breeze- M".
The calculations Of roskosmosa prepare the equipment of station for the forthcoming servicing of starting block, and the combat crews of space troops of Russia, stationed in Baikonur, bring propellant components to the technical servicing station.
It is planned, that the servicing will be completed on 6 February, next day it is planned to conduct the removal of rocket to the launching system of the area of 200 spaceports.
The launch of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the communication satellite Thor 2R is planned from the area of 200 spaceports 14 it is hour 33 minutes on 10 February, 2008.
05.02.2008 Thor 2R are prepared for the start
http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=2853 At the spaceport Baikonur continues the preparation for the starting of space rocket "Proton-m with the starting block" Breeze- M "and the telecommunication automatic spacecraft Thor 2R. this morning at the technical servicing station it began servicing the tanks of the low pressure of starting block" Breeze- M ".
It is planned, that the servicing will continue during two days.
In the evening on 6 February at the spaceport it is planned to conduct the session of state commission, at which will be supplied the sums of preparation on the technical complex of space rocket and the readiness of the objects of the ground-based space infrastructure of Baikonur for conducting of the removal of rocket to the launching system.
The transport of rocket from the technical servicing station to the launching system of the area of 200 spaceports it is planned to conduct in the morning on 7 February.
The launch of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the communication satellite Thor 2R is planned from the area of 200 spaceports to 14 it is hour 33 minutes of msk on 10 February, 2008.
Who cares, if in the contract papers it's still Thor-IIR they will launch Thor-IIR.
06.02.2008 resolution of state commission about the removal RKN "Proton-"Briz 2R "to the launching system
http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=2864At the spaceport Baikonur took place the session of state commission, which made a decision about the conducting tomorrow, on 7 February, the removal of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the telecommunication satellite Thor 2R to the launching system of area 200.
The transport of rocket will begin into 3.30 msk.
After the delivery of rocket to the launching system, it will be established to the vertical position on the "zero mark" of launching pad, to the carrier rocket they will bring service boom, and the calculations of the enterprises Of roskosmosa will approach the works according to the graph of the first starting day.
The launch of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the communication satellite Thor 2R is planned to 14 it is hour 33 minutes of msk on 10 February, 2008.
06.02.2008 Thor 2R: preparation KA for the starting is conducted according to the graph
http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=2861Na spaceport Baikonur continues preparation for the starting of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the Norwegian telecommunication satellite "Thor -2R" (Thor 2R).
Na of technical servicing station continues servicing the tanks of the low pressure of starting block "Breeze- M".
on the launching system of area 200 is conducted the conference of technical direction on the readiness of launcher for the method of rocket.
Segodnya in the evening at the spaceport must pass the session of state commission, at which will be supplied the sums of preparation on the technical complex of space rocket and the readiness of the objects of the ground-based space infrastructure of spaceport Baikonur for conducting of the removal of rocket to the launching system.
Transportirovku of rocket from the technical servicing station to the launching system of the area of 200 spaceports it is planned to conduct in the morning on 7 February.
Pusk of space rocket "Proton-m" with the starting block "Breeze- M" and the communication satellite "Thor -2R" is planned from the area of 200 spaceports to 14 it is hour 33 minutes of msk on 10 February, 2008.
Kosmicheskiy apparatus (KA) is created by the American company Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) on the base of platform "Star -2" (Star 2) on the contract with the Norwegian company "tele-NOR" (Telenor). Starting mass KA - 2450 kg. it is intended for the work in geostationary orbit for 15 years. KA will ensure the north of Europe, central Europe and Middle East with services to tele-communication.
