Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
00:02:59
Wednesday February 11, 2009
The Ekspress-AM 33 and 44 series are communications satellites for russian domestic communication services. The lifetime of the spacecraft has been increased to 12 years. While the spacecraft itself is built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payloads are built by Alcatel.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
1 Payload
2,532 kilograms
Russian Satellite Communications Company has signed in 2006 a contract with Alcatel Alenia Space Italia and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre to provide telecommunication payloads for Ekspress-MD1 and Ekspress-MD2 satellites. Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) signed a contract with Alcatel Alenia Space Italia to provide telecommunication payloads for the Ekspress MD-1 and Ekspress MD-2 satellites. The space bus, based on KazSat, was built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre. Ekspress MD-1 and MD-2 will each be equipped with eight C-band and one L-band transponders, along with a repeater panel and an antenna farm, to provide broadcasting and communications services across Russia and the CIS countries, as well as mobile presidential and governmental communications.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
1 Payload
1,140 kilograms
Manufacturer
KhrunichevPrice
$65.00 million
Rocket
Height: 58.18m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 21,000 kg
GTO: 6,900 kg
Liftoff Thrust
10,027 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 4.35m
Height: 15.26m
Stages
4
30th
Mission
1st
Mission of 2009
7th
Orbital launch attempt