A Proton-M has launched Satmex 8, a communications satellite, from its pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 26 March.
As of press time, the Breeze-M upper stage has completed its first burn; three burns and several hours remain before the satellite reaches geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
The launch was anxiously awaited as Proton has suffered a series of upper stage-related failures, including the August, 2012 launch immediately proceeding the 26 March flight. The August launch failed when the Breeze-M’s fourth burn cut off four minutes early, according to Flightglobal/Ascend’s database. The cause was established to be an unexpected warming of the cryogenic oxidizer, causing the engine to attempt running on gas instead of liquid oxygen.
Proton is among the most-launched rockets in the world, with 26 March marking the 383rd launch.
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