Proton SSTO Launch Lofts Intelsat 31 Satellite for Latin America

An ILS Proton launches Intelsat 31. Photo: Roscosmos

[Via Satellite 06-10-2016] International Launch Services (ILS) successfully orbited the Intelsat 31 satellite for Intelsat June 9 aboard a Proton Breeze M rocket. The mission design consisted of a 5-burn Breeze M Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit (SSTO) — a method of increasing heavy-lift performance over Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) mission designs.

The first three stages of the Proton used a standard ascent profile to place the orbital unit (the Breeze M upper stage and the Intelsat 31 satellite) into a sub-orbital trajectory. From this point in the mission, the Breeze M performed planned mission maneuvers to insert the orbital unit first to a circular parking orbit, then to intermediate and transfer orbits, and finally to a Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit where Intelsat 31 separated after a 15-hour, 31-minute mission. SSTO missions allow operators to maximize spacecraft operational lifetime.

The Space Systems Loral (SSL)-built satellite is a 20-kilowatt class spacecraft with both Ku- and C-band capabilities. The satellite will be collocated with Intelsat 30 at 95 degrees west longitude for services over Latin America. The Ku-band payload, known as DLA-2, is designed to provide redundancy for DirecTV Latin America’s distribution services in South America and the Caribbean. The C-band portion enhances Intelsat’s existing C-band service infrastructure serving Latin America.