All systems are nominal following the successful launch of the GE-6 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) for GE American Communications (GE Americom).
Lift-off occurred at 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Saturday, Oct. 21, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, aboard a Proton booster provided by International Launch Services (ILS).
Initial contact with the satellite, called acquisition of signal, was confirmed the same day at 5:44 p.m. PDT from the Lockheed Martin satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.
Over the course of the next several days, the LMCSS ground team will undertake a series of maneuvers to deliver the spacecraft to its orbital slot at 72 degrees West Longitude.
GE-6, a hybrid C/Ku-band satellite with 28 Ku Band and 24 C Band active transponders, will join the GE Americom fleet of satellites and provide direct-to-home (DTH), media and entertainment distribution plus enterprise and Internet protocol (IP) solutions in North America.
