OREANDA-NEWS. February 11, 2014. In the wake of the launch in February of TurkSat 4A, a Turkish communication satellite – Proton’s first rider of 2014, the campaign in support of delivery into orbit of the Russia’s  Express AT1 and Express AT2 (DBS) direct broadcast satellites has been started at Baikonur.  The Proton M/Breeze M/Express AT Duo is to lift off mid-March.

Both spacecraft are built by ISS Reshetnev in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space, France for the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) under The Federal Space Program of Russia 2006-2015.

The two spacecraft and their ground support equipment arrived at Cosmodrome on Monday, February 03. The Breeze M Upper Stage allocated for the future mission was delivered to Baikonur this morning.  All these articles were shipped by Polet Airlines, Roscosmos’s official air carrier.

Late January, the railroad convoy transported to Baikonur the three stages of the Proton launch vehicle to execute the Express AT mission.