AKIPRESS.COM - International Launch Services (ILS) has successfully launched into space its Proton-M rocket carrying the Amazonas 5 communications satellite for Spanish operator Hispasat.
The launch was conducted on September 11 at 19:23 GMT (3:23 p.m. EDT) from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Hispasat will use Amazonas 5 for both video content delivery and internet connectivity, among other services, in Latin America. It will replace the Amazonas 4A satellite that suffered a power system malfunction after its deployment in 2014.
“With this new satellite, the Hispasat Group will be able to meet growing satellite capacity demand, mainly for satellite television platforms in Latin America and Brazil. Moreover, it has Ka band capacity to deal with new Internet connectivity services,” Hispasat said in a statement.
The launch campaign for the mission started on August 8 when the Amazonas 5 satellite arrived at Baikonur aboard an Antonov cargo jet. Ten days later, the Proton-M launch vehicle was shipped to Baikonur by rail.