LAUNCH SUCCESS! The Breeze M upper stage has accomplished its job, carrying Nimiq 6 into geosynchronous transfer orbit and deploying the satellite tonight.

Nimiq 6 becomes the newest television broadcaster for Canada, reinforcing the orbiting constellation of spacecraft supplying programming to two million customers of the Bell TV service.

Operated by Telesat of Ottawa, the satellite's full capacity is contracted to Bell for relaying high definition television and speciality video to Canadian customers.

"Nimiq 6 will allow Telesat's longstanding customer, Bell TV, to offer improved performance to its subscribers throughout all of Canada," said Dan Goldberg, Telesat's president and chief executive officer.

Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 9,900 pounds, Nimiq 6 is equipped with 32 Ku-band transponders and a design life of 15 years.

"It takes more than a million man hours and hundreds of engineers and technicians working together as a team to build a satellite like Nimiq 6," said John Celli, president of Space Systems/Loral. "This is a state-of-the art spacecraft that will enable Telesat to provide its customer, Bell TV, with improved performance to meet the growing demand for direct-to-home television in Canada."

Telesat will position the craft at its orbital slot of 91.1 degrees West longitude. Four other Nimiq satellites, named with the Inuit word for a force which binds things together, are in orbit after being launched aboard Proton rockets from 1999 through 2009.

Thursday represented the 73rd commercial Proton mission under the guidance of International Launch Services and the fourth this year.

The next Proton rocket launch is slated for June with the SES 5 communications satellite to cover Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

The final 10-minute push has been delivered by the Breeze M main engine while flying high over the Indian Ocean. Deployment of the Nimiq 6 satellite will occur in a few minutes to complete this long launch sequence.

The upper stage and attached Nimiq 6 satellite are currently in the midst of a five-hour coast period prior to the fifth and final firing by the Breeze M tonight.

International Launch Services reports that the third and four burns took place as planned. The maneuvers included a 15.5-minute firing, then a pause to jettison the now-emptied extra fuel tank, followed by a two-minute engine firing as the rocket flew over South America and the Atlantic Ocean.

Breeze M now resides in a highly inclined, highly elliptical orbit, with a targeted low point of 255 miles, a high point of 22,241 miles and inclination of 49.1 degrees relative to the equator.

One final burn remains later tonight to raise the orbit's low point to 7,502 miles and substantially reduce the inclination to 10.2 degrees.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is expected at 0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT).

The second burn has been conducted by the Breeze M upper stage, boosting the rocket and its Nimiq 6 payload from the initial low-altitude circular parking orbit of about 107 miles at 51.5 degrees inclination.

This latest firing, lasting almost 18 minutes over the Atlantic Ocean and Africa as the vehicle was nearing completion of the first orbit, was designed to raise the altitude.

The new intermediate orbit is elliptical in nature, with a targeted low point of 168 miles, a high point of 3,107 miles and inclination of 50.3 degrees relative to the equator.

Breeze M now coasts until around 2240 GMT (6:40 p.m. EDT) when the next two burns occur back-to-back with only a brief pause in between to shed the donut-like auxiliary propellant tank.

The Breeze M upper stage and Nimiq 6 are now in a coast period that will last until T+67 minutes, 30 seconds. That is when the stage re-ignites for a 17-minute, 46-second burn.

A third firing will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 28 minutes and last for 15.5 minutes. Following completion of its third burn of the mission, the Breeze M will jettison its emptied Additional Propellant Tank. The stage then restarts at T+3 hour, 46 minutes for a two-minute firing.

A final ten-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 50 minutes to finish shaping the orbit.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is targeted to occur at T+plus 9 hours, 14 minutes, or 0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT).

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International Launch Services reports that the first burn of Breeze M was successfully completed to put the vehicle into a preliminary parking orbit. Today's mission is going according to plan.

The Breeze M upper stage has ignited to achieve a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth. This burn should last about four-and-a-half minutes in total duration.

Telemetry confirms that the third stage finished firing and jettisoned, finishing the Proton M rocket's role in the ascent. The Breeze M upper stage now must perform its five burns.

T+plus 9 minutes. The third stage should complete its burn in about a minute, followed by separation of the spent motor. The Breeze M and attached Nimiq 6 spacecraft will then be on a suborbital trajectory in preparation for the first of five planned firings by the upper stage to reach geosynchronous transfer orbit over the next several hours.

T+plus 8 minutes. Second stage separation has occurred and ignition of the Proton third stage has been confirmed. Also, the payload fairing enclosing the Nimiq 6 spacecraft atop the rocket has separated.

T+plus 3 minutes. The Proton continues streaking to space on the power of the second stage. Vehicle performance is reported normal.

T+plus 2 minutes, 10 seconds. The six main engines on the first stage have extinguished and the spent stage just separated. Now, the four second stage engines are up and burning as planned.

T+plus 90 seconds. Just over a half-minute remaining in the first stage burn. Everything is looking good with the flight.

T+plus 60 seconds. The vehicle is now approaching the period of maximum dynamic pressure during its climb through the atmosphere.

T+plus 30 seconds. The Proton rocket is performing its roll maneuver to achieve the proper launch heading for flight downrange. All six first stage liquid-fueled engines are up and burning.

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of Proton and the Nimiq 6 spacecraft, broadcasting television directly to homes across Canada!

T-minus 60 seconds. All systems remain "go" for liftoff at the precise and instantaneous launch time a minute from now.

T-minus 2 minutes. The countdown is being run by a master computer sequencer.

T-minus 5 minutes. The launch readiness of the Proton core vehicle, Breeze M upper stage and Nimiq 6 spacecraft will be verified over the next few minutes in the countdown.

T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The Proton rocket weighs 1,554,000 pounds as it sits on the launch pad. The Nimiq 6 spacecraft accounts for about 9,900 pounds of the weight.

T-minus 12 minutes and counting. At launch the Proton's six first stage engines will fire together to propel the 191-foot-tall rocket into the middle-of-the-night sky at Baikonur. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:12 a.m. local time at Baikonur.

Weather conditions are within limits for today's Proton launch. The latest report at Baikonur indicates mostly clear skies, good visibility, a temperature of 55 degrees F and northerly winds of 7 to 11 mph.

Here's a look at some stats about today's mission. This will be:

• 377th Proton rocket launch since 1965
• 73rd International Launch Services Proton
• 56th Proton M using a Breeze M upper stage since 2001
• Fourth Proton of 2012
• 22nd Space Systems/Loral satellite on ILS Proton
• Eighth Telesat satellite launch on ILS Proton

Retraction of the launch pad's mobile service tower from the Proton rocket has begun as preparations continue for today's ascent of the Nimiq 6 communications satellite.

The three-stage Proton core vehicle and Breeze M upper stage are fully fueled, a process that began about six hours before launch time. Liftoff remains scheduled for 1912 GMT (3:12 p.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The six engines on the Proton first stage will ignite at launch to push the 19-story rocket away from Earth on two million pounds of thrust. After first stage separation two minutes into flight, four engines aboard the second stage fire for three-and-a-half minutes before shutting down and jettisoning. The Proton's third stage then comes to life for its four-minute job, during which time the protective payload fairing shielding Nimiq 6 will separate.

The Breeze M upper stage then assumes control of the mission to conduct a series of five critical burns spread across nine hours to propel the payload into the proper orbit by tonight.

A new broadcasting spacecraft for direct-to-home satellite television customers across Canada will be hoisted into orbit today by the Russian Proton rocket on its latest commercial delivery mission.

Launch of the Proton M booster fitted with a Breeze M upper stage carrying the Nimiq 6 satellite cargo is scheduled for the precise moment of 1912:14 GMT (3:12:14 p.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Watch this page for live updates and streaming video coverage beginning at 1845 GMT (2:45 p.m. EDT).

The spacecraft will join an orbiting fleet used by Bell TV for its subscription services, relaying high definition television and speciality video to Canadian users.

Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 9,900 pounds, Nimiq 6 is equipped with 32 Ku-band transponders and a design life of 15 years.

Telesat of Ottawa will operate the craft from its orbital slot of 91.1 degrees West longitude. Four other Nimiq satellites, named with the Inuit word for a force which binds things together, were delivered to orbit aboard Proton rockets from 1999 through 2009.

"It takes more than a million man hours and hundreds of engineers and technicians working together as a team to build a satellite like Nimiq 6," said John Celli, president of Space Systems/Loral. "This is a state-of-the art spacecraft that will enable Telesat to provide its customer, Bell TV, with improved performance to meet the growing demand for direct-to-home television in Canada."

Bell TV has purchased the full capacity of the satellite from Telesat.

"Nimiq 6 will allow Telesat's longstanding customer, Bell TV, to offer improved performance to its subscribers throughout all of Canada," said Dan Goldberg, Telesat's president and chief executive officer.

The climb to orbit for Nimiq 6 will be another of the Proton/Breeze M vehicle's marathons. The lower three stages of the Khrunichev-built Proton will fire during the mission's first 10 minutes. Five burns of the Breeze M upper stage will follow over the next nine hours to reach the targeted geosynchronous transfer orbit for release of the satellite.

The rocket's flight is managed by International Launch Services, the Proton's chief marketer to commercial satellite companies. It will be the 73rd ILS Proton dating back the past 16 years.

The lower Proton stages leave the combined upper stage and Nimiq 6 vehicle on a suborbital trajectory. The first Breeze M firing is needed to achieve a temporary parking orbit around Earth at an altitude of 107 miles, inclined 51.5 degrees.

The next four Breeze M firings will methodically raise the orbit and reduce inclination before deploying the Nimiq 6 spacecraft into an orbit with an apogee of 22,236 miles, perigee of 7,502 miles and inclination of 10.2 degrees.

The rocket's separation from the satellite is expected at 0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT) to complete the launch sequence.

Nimiq 6 will rely upon its onboard propulsion to reach a circular geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the planet where it can match Earth's rotation and appear fixed along the equator.

Check this page during the launch for live updates on the mission's progress.

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