Mission Success: Express-АМ7, Russia’s new communications and radio broadcasting satellite, now in orbit

 

19 March 2015

 

The Proton-M with Breeze-M Upper Stage successfully orbited the Express-АМ7, Russia’s new communications and broadcasting satellite, to a geo-transfer orbit. The launch was performed on 18 March 2015 at 22:05 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. On 19 March 2015 at 7:18 UTC the spacecraft separated from the upper stage. Currently, control of the Express-АМ7 has been assumed by the spacecraft maker, Airbus D&S (France), for the subsequent transfer of the satellite to the geostationary orbit (GEO).

From its 40˚E target geostationary orbit slot, the new Express-АМ7 satellite will be providing state-of-the-art communications and broadcasting services to users in Russia, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. The Express-АМ7 satellite has been built at RSCC’s orders under the Russian Federal Space program for 2006-2015. The project was financed from off-budget funds based on a line of credit from State Corporation "Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)". The design lifetime of the satellite is 15 years.