LAUNCH SUCCESS! The Breeze M upper stage has accomplished its job, carrying SES 4 into geosynchronous transfer orbit and deploying the satellite tonight.

SES 4 begins a multi-decade life of serving telecommunications across the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It becomes the largest, most powerful craft in the 50-satellite fleet operated by the SES firm of Luxembourg.

"SES 4 will soon provide enhanced services to customers on four continents," said SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell.

Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 13,625 pounds, the SES 4 is a true powerhouse satellite outfitted with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Once operational in geostationary orbit above the equatorial Atlantic at 22 degrees West longitude (338 degrees East), SES 4 will replace the aging NSS 7 spacecraft originally deployed by an Ariane 4 rocket in 2002, which will slide eastward by 2 degrees and operate from that new location for its continued life.

"The 338 deg E orbital location is already a well established SES neighborhood over Africa, and SES 4 will offer our customers significantly more capacity and growth opportunities across important emerging markets," said Dolores Martos, SES vice president of sales in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The C-band beams from SES will be directed to full coverage of the Americas, plus the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, and a broad beam from the spacecraft's point-of-view will support mobile and maritime customers.

In the Ku-band frequency, the craft is equipped with four high-power, regional beams aimed at Europe, the Middle East, West Africa as well as North and South America.

SES 4 also has the capability of onboard channel switching between C- and Ku-band transponders.

"A broad range of our North America-based customers -- from broadcasting to oil and gas exploration -- are counting on SES 4 to help them expand their businesses into new regions of the world," added Steve Bunke, SES vice president of North America sales.

With the spacecraft now flying its in launch orbit, SES 4 must use its onboard engine over the next several days 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 at 22 degrees West longitude.

Today represented the 70th commercial Proton mission under the guidance of International Launch Services and the first this year.

The next Proton rocket launch is slated for early March with the Sirius FM-6 radio broadcasting spacecraft.

The final six-minute push was delivered by the Breeze M main engine while flying high over the Indian Ocean a short time ago. Standing by for spacecraft separation to complete the long launch sequence.

The upper stage and attached SES 4 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 an 11-minute firing, then a pause to jettison the now-emptied extra fuel tank, followed by a six-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 267 miles, a high point of 22,249 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 2,308 miles and substantially reduce the inclination to 24.6 degrees.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is expected at 0448 GMT (11:48 p.m. EST).

The Breeze M upper stage and SES 4 are now in a coast period that will last until T+67 minutes, 33 seconds. That is when the stage re-ignites for a 17-minute, 44-second burn.

A third firing will begin at T+plus 3 hours, 28 minutes and last for 11 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, 41 minutes for a six-minute firing.

A final six-minute burn will occur at T+plus 8 hours, 53 minutes to finish shaping the orbit.

Spacecraft separation to complete the launch is targeted to occur at T+plus 9 hours, 12 minutes, or 0448 GMT (11:48 p.m. EST).

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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 did ignite 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 SES 4 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 SES 4 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 the Russian Proton rocket and the SES 4 international telecommunications satellite!

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 SES 4 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 SES 4 spacecraft accounts for 13,625 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 1:36 a.m. local time at Baikonur.

Weather conditions are within limits for today's Proton launch. The latest report at Baikonur indicates a few clouds, good visibility, a temperature of -7 degrees F and a northeasterly winds of 7 to 9 mph.

The live launch broadcast begins streaming now. Clocks continue to count toward a liftoff at 1936 GMT.

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

• 373rd Proton rocket launch since 1965
• 70th International Launch Services Proton
• 53rd Proton M using a Breeze M upper stage since 2001
• 1st Proton of 2012
• 21st SS/L-made satellite on ILS Proton
• 20th SES 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 SES 4 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 1936 GMT (2:36 p.m. EST) 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 SES 4 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.

The Russian State Commission met several hours ago to review the readiness for launch and granted approval to load propellants into the Proton vehicle. That fueling operation has now been completed, officials report, as the activities progress towards a 1936 GMT (2:36 p.m. EST) liftoff today.

Meanwhile, the payload team has finished topping off the SES 4 satellite's onboard battery system for the ride to orbit.

We're now just two hours away from seeing the Proton rocket blast off. You are looking at live streaming video from the Baikonur launch pad where technicians are preparing to retract the service gantry away from the booster.

For the third time since Christmas, a Russian Proton rocket is standing on the launch pad and aiming for blastoff carrying an international telecommunications satellite.

Technical troubles with the booster scrubbed the original Dec. 26 launch date, forcing a rollback to the hangar for replacement of an avionics component. A second launch date of Jan. 28 also got cancelled because of a wiring fault that again caused the vehicle's return to final assembly building to fix.

Now, preparations are back on track for a Tuesday blastoff at 1936 GMT (2:36 p.m. EST) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deploy the large SES 4 spacecraft. Rollout to the pad occurred Saturday morning.

Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 13,625 pounds, the SES 4 is a true powerhouse satellite outfitted with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Watch this page for live updates and streaming video coverage beginning at 1915 GMT (2:15 p.m. EST).

DELAY. Saturday's planned launch of the Russian Proton rocket carrying an international communications satellite will be postponed at least a couple of weeks because of an unspecified technical problem with the booster.

The rocket will be rolled off the launch pad today and returned to the final assembly building again for resolution of the problem. A rollback also occurred in late December after the initial launch attempt was scrubbed.

"The rescheduled date and time of the launch will be determined at a later date following corrective measures and additional testing," says International Launch Services.

After a fortuitous find during its initial countdown Dec. 26 that uncovered an avionics problem, the repaired Russian Proton rocket returned to the launch pad Wednesday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to prepare for Saturday's blastoff carrying an international communications satellite.

The day-after-Christmas liftoff plans were thwarted when a concern arose requiring an invasive removal and replacement of a command-and-control device aboard the rocket. To accomplish that work, the Proton was rolled back to the hangar so the upper portion of the rocket including the payload, Breeze M upper stage and nose cone could be detached.

Once the swapout and retesting occurred, the rocket was integrated again for the commercial mission to haul the SES 4 spacecraft into orbit.

A launch on Saturday from pad 39 at the Kazakh base is targeted for 2:23 p.m. EST (1923 GMT).

We'll have live updates and streaming video on this page starting at 2 p.m. EST.

The Proton rocket with the SES 4 telecommunications satellite payload will be rolled back from the launch pad to the final assembly hangar on Tuesday for repairs after a technical fault was discovered during Monday's countdown.

The booster will be lowered down horizontally for transport via rail off of pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Originally slated for blastoff Monday, officials scrubbed the launch after a concern arose with a command-and-control device in the vehicle's avionics. It was an initial 24-hour delay before federal space agency officials determined a much longer postponement would be required.

Replacement of the component and retesting will be performed before the rocket's return to the pad and the mission is rescheduled sometime in January. International Launch Services anticipates the delay will be about 25 days.

Today's launch has been postponed due to an unspecified technical issue, the Russian space agency has announced. Liftoff is retargeted to the backup launch opportunity on Tuesday.

An international communications satellite to blanket a large swath of the planet will be hauled into orbit Monday by Russia's commercial Proton heavy-lifting rocket.

Launch of the Proton M booster fitted with a Breeze M upper stage carrying the SES 4 satellite cargo is scheduled for 1841 GMT (1:41 p.m. EST) from pad 39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Watch this page for live updates and streaming video coverage beginning at 1815 GMT (1:15 p.m. EST).

The payload will become the largest, most powerful craft in the 50-satellite fleet operated by the SES firm of Luxembourg.

"SES 4 will soon provide enhanced services to customers on four continents," said SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell.

Built by Space Systems/Loral with a launch weight of 13,625 pounds, the SES 4 is a true powerhouse satellite outfitted with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Once operational in geostationary orbit above the equatorial Atlantic at 22 degrees West longitude (338 degrees East), SES 4 will replace the aging NSS 7 spacecraft originally deployed by an Ariane 4 rocket in 2002, which will slide eastward by 2 degrees and operate from that new location for its continued life.

"The 338 deg E orbital location is already a well established SES neighborhood over Africa, and SES 4 will offer our customers significantly more capacity and growth opportunities across important emerging markets," said Dolores Martos, SES vice president of sales in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The C-band beams from SES will be directed to full coverage of the Americas, plus the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, and a broad beam from the spacecraft's point-of-view will support mobile and maritime customers.

In the Ku-band frequency, the craft is equipped with four high-power, regional beams aimed at Europe, the Middle East, West Africa as well as North and South America.

SES 4 also has the capability of onboard channel switching between C- and Ku-band transponders.

"A broad range of our North America-based customers -- from broadcasting to oil and gas exploration -- are counting on SES 4 to help them expand their businesses into new regions of the world," added Steve Bunke, SES vice president of North America sales.

The climb to orbit 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 SES 4.

The rocket's flight is managed by International Launch Services, the Proton's chief marketer to commercial satellite companies. It will be the 70th ILS Proton dating back the past 15 years.

The lower Proton stages leave the combined upper stage and SES 4 vehicle on a suborbital trajectory. The first Breeze M firing is needed to achieve a temporary parking orbit around Earth at an altitude of 109 miles, inclined 51.5 degrees.

The next four Breeze M firings will methodically raise the orbit and reduce inclination before deploying the SES 4 spacecraft into an orbit with an apogee of 22,236 miles, perigee of 2,308 miles and inclination of 24.6 degrees.

The rocket's separation from the satellite is expected at 0353 GMT (10:53 p.m. EST) to complete the launch sequence.

SES 4 will rely upon its onboard engine in the subsequent days 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 at 22 degrees West longitude.

If you will be away from your computer but would like to receive occasional launch updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text message updates sent to your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

The Russian Proton rocket carrying the SES 4 communications satellite to serve the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East was transported by rail to its Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad Saturday. Blastoff is scheduled for Monday at 1841 GMT (1:41 p.m. EST).

See the rollout photo gallery!