[Satellite TODAY 12-28-10] International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched the Ka-Sat satellite to orbit for Eutelsat on a Proton Breeze M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, ILS announced Dec 27. 
      Ka-Sat was released into geostationary transfer orbit nine hours after launch, marking the eighth successful ILS Proton million of the year.
     The satellite, built on the Eurostar E3000 platform by Astrium, will operate exclusively in high capacity Ka-band frequencies and use its configuration of 82 spot beams and ten gateways to will provide high-speed broadband service across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.
    “The launch of this high throughput satellite marks the opening of a new era for satellite-delivered broadband and data services across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It is also new evidence of Eutelsat’s commitment to innovation that broadens the scope of satellite-based services in a rapidly expanding digital economy,” Eutelsat CEO Michel de Rosen said in a statement.