Pre-launch processing has begun for the integrated Proton M/Breeze M integrated launch vehicle that will carry the new Turksat 4A.
The first Proton launch of the year is now scheduled for February, following a series delays to the Proton launch programme in 2013. The communications satellite has been built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric.
At this time, the satellite, the Proton launch vehicle, the Proton upper stage as well as the other ILV components are undergoing component-level processing at the Cosmodrome’s Proton Processing Facility. Also, operations are under way aimed at preparing the dedicated Proton Launch Pad for ILV installation.
The Breeze M upper stage was rolled out from Integration-and-Test Facility (IFT) 92A-50 to the Breeze M fueling station Wednesdat for loading Breeze M high-pressure tanks with propellants within the next few days. The Breeze M will then be rolled back to IFT for further processing as required for mating Breeze M to the spacecraft.
Final assembly of the three-stage Proton launch vehicle is also underway.
The launch of Proton M with Turksat 4A aboard is part of the agreement with International Launch Services (ILS), the Russian/US joint venture that has exclusive rights to market the heavy-lift Proton LV worldwide.
