Eutelsat 9B launch date slips
January 13, 2016
By Chris Forrester
Three days is next to nothing in terms of satellite launch slippage, but news has emerged from Russian news agency TASS that the ILS/Proton rocket launch is to be delayed.
The original launch date for Eutelsat 9B was January 25th, and this has been shifted back to January 28th. TASS quotes sources saying that the Proton’s manufacturer, Khrunichev, needs extra time to prepare the rocket (and its Biz-M upper stage) ahead of launch.
Eutelsat 9B has been built by Airbus Defence & Space and will go to 9 degrees East, adding extra capacity to the orbital slot.
The Proton launch is the first of the year (although the 92nd by International Launch Services).