More TV at 119 West

 

 Nice going/launching by ILS in Baikonur the other day, bringing relief to the folks at Space Systems/Loral — and lots more HDTV capacity for DISH Network customers. Aviation Week gives us the update…

A commercial Proton orbited the heaviest satellite ever to fly on the Russian launch vehicle March 21, placing the 6.3-metric-ton EchoStar XIV Ku-band satellite in its geosynchronous transfer orbit for the DISH Network.

The launch vehicle’s Breeze M upper stage released the spacecraft after a nine-hour, 10-minute mission. Liftoff from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan came at 2:27 p.m. EDT.

The launch was the second arranged this year by International Launch Services, and the fourth Proton launch of the year.

The spacecraft was built by Space Systems/Loral based on its 1300 satellite bus.

It will be positioned at 119 deg. W. Long., where it will deliver Ku-band service over the U.S. for the DISH Network’s high-definition programming.

And the mandatory video…