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The KazSat spacecraft was developed by Khrunichev enterprise in accordance with the agreement reached by Russian president Vladimir Putin during his visit to Kazakhstan in January 2004. A formal agreement between Kazakh and Russian governments on the mission was signed on January 18, 2005. The project reportedly cost the Kazakh government between $65 and 100 million, according to different sources. Russian Satellite Communications Company, RSCC, developed a ground control station at the town of Akkol, Kazakhstan, based on the contract with SYRUS Systems of Moscow singed on Sept. 29, 2004. Technical description Built around a load-bearing cylinder, a relatively small spacecraft was originally slated for launch on December 29, 2005, riding to orbit below a Russian Express satellite onboard the Proton-M rocket with the Breeze-M upper stage. The flight profile involved the insertion of both satellites into geostationary orbit, while still attached to the upper stage. (Most Western communications satellites separate from the upper stage in the high-elliptical transfer orbit and then use its own propulsion systems to reach geostationary orbit.) However the Express was apparently unavailable, leading to a major change in the flight scenario and a series of delays. The KazSat was rescheduled to February, March, May and June 8, 2006, and would ultimately fly alone onboard its own Proton rocket with Block DM-3 upper stage. The spacecraft, featuring unpressurized platform, carries 12 Ku-band transponders with the total weight of about 180 kilograms, which would provide TV, data transmissions and other communications services across Kazakhstan, Central Asia and central regions of Russia. Known specifications of the KazSat spacecraft:
Pre-launch processing The electrical testing of the spacecraft started at Khrunichev enterprise on February 7, 2006. The spacecraft was delivered to Baikonur by An-124 Ruslan Aircraft on April 28, 2006. The spacecraft was powered up for electrical checking at the launch site on May 4, 2006. On May 25, the satellite's propulsion system was fueled with xenon and on May 29 it was covered with payload fairing. The satellite and its upper stage was then integrated with the payload fairing on June 10, 2006. The launch vehicle was rolled to the launch pad on June 14, 2006. The launch Less than four months after its latest failure, the Proton rocket resumed its missions with apparently successful launch of the first satellite for the government of Kazakhstan. The Proton-K rocket with Block DM-3 upper stage blasted off from Pad 39 at Site 200 at Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 18, 2006, at 01:44:05.003 Moscow Decree Time, (02:44 Moscow Summer Time, 04:44 local time) carrying the KazSat communications satellite. The upper stage and its payload separated from the third stage 9 minutes 28 seconds after launch. Following a successful orbital insertion, the payload separated from the upper stage at 08:32:33.626 Moscow Decree Time (09:32 Moscow Summer Time), according to Khrunichev enterprise, which developed the spacecraft and the launch vehicle. In a rare appearance in Baikonur, Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan personally watched the launch accompanied by the head of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos Anatoly Perminov. The mission Despite unofficial reports about problems after launch, official statements from the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, said that the spacecraft reached its nominal orbit and all elements on the vehicle were successfully deployed. As of June 19, 2006, ground controllers were preparing for the transfer of the satellite into its operational position in the geostationary orbit. The engine firing to change the latitude of the geostationary orbit was conducted on July 7, 2006. On July 25, 2006, Roskosmos announced that KazSat had been in the operational orbit at 103 degrees Eastern longitude over the Equator. On August 8, 2006, ground controllers from Khrunichev enterprise deployed in Kazakhstan initiated final tests of the satellite, according to Roskosmos. Khrunichev's team was scheduled to remain at the Akkol control site until August 18, 2006. On September 6, 2006, spokesman for Kazakhstan's information and communication agency told Kazakhstan Today that all Kazakh communications providers were switching to the KazSat satellite. He also said that former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan requested the use of the satellite's available capacity. KazSat-2 On September 29, 2006, Roskosmos announced that Khrunichev enterprise won a tender of the Kazakh government for the development of the KazSat-2 spacecraft, then scheduled for launch in 2009. Among contractors in the project were also named RNII KP, FGUP Kosmicheskaya Svyaz and Alcatel Alenia Space. The project was estimated at $115 million, according to Kazakh officials. |
PICTURE GALLERY
The KazSat satellite is built around a cylindrical body, which can also serve as a supporting structure for another spacecraft, which can be placed above it during launch. Credit: Khrunichev
Kazakh and Russian space officials visit ground control station in the town of Akkol, Kazakhstan, on May 31, 2006. The facility was developed specifically for the KazSat program. Credit: Roskosmos
The Proton rocket, carrying KazSat, blasts off from Baikonur's Site 200. Credit: Roskosmos
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