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Proton rocket carrying Mexican satellite may be launched May 15-16

Mexsat-1 is a 5.3-tonne mobile communication satellite built for Mexico’s Communication and Transport Ministry

© ITAR-TASS/Sergei Kazak

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Cost of launching Proton rocket down $25 mln over a year — Roscosmos

MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. A Proton-M space rocket carrying a Mexican communication satellite Mexsat-1 may blast off from the Baikonur space site in Kazakhstan on May 15 or 16, a source at Baikonur said.

"On April 30 the foreign client will be prepared to say if the satellite is ready for launch. According to preliminary estimates the launch of the Proton may take place on May 15-16," he said.

Earlier, the Khrunichev Center - the designer and manufacturer of the Proton rocket - said the launch had been postponed indefinitely at the client’s request, adding that the satellite’s manufacturer (Boeing Corporation) asked for more time to check onboard equipment.

Mexsat-1 is a 5.3-tonne mobile communication satellite built for Mexico’s Communication and Transport Ministry. It will join a satellite cluster providing communication links to remote regions. The Mexsat system consists of three satellites, two ground stations, and a control centre.

Mexsat-1 is a fourth-generation Mexican satellite developed by Boeing. It will serve the interests of national security and civilian and humanitarian programs. The satellite’s mobile communication channels will be crucial to providing assistance in case of man-made and natural calamities, for telemedicine, rural education and government operations. Its expected service life is 15 years. The satellite will be propelled into a geostationary orbit at 113 degrees Western longitude.

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