The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the Baikonur cosmodrome on November 14 at 11:29 p.m. local time, and successfully carried the SkyTerra 1 satellite into orbit for LightSquared of Reston, Virginia. After a 9 hour 14 minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the SkyTerra 1 satellite, weighing over 5.3 metric tons, into geostationary transfer orbit. This was the 7th commercial mission of the year for ILS and the 10th successful Proton launch of 2010. The ILS Proton launch of SkyTerra 1 was the first satellite launch for LightSquared.

The SkyTerra 1 satellite, to be located at 101.3 degrees West, was built on the Boeing 702HP platform designed for geomobile services with an estimated lifetime of fifteen years. The SkyTerra 1 satellite features a 22-meter L-band reflector-based antenna – the largest commercial antenna reflector to be put into service. SkyTerra 1 will be among the first to combine satellite and terrestrial technologies for use in standard handsets and other devices. The 4G-LTE network offered by SkyTerra 1 will also be the first to provide wireless coverage to 100 percent of the population of the United States.

Don’t miss history in the making – view the launch today!