AMC-9

A Proton rocket successfully placed the AMC-9 satellite into orbit for Alcatel Space and SES AMERICOM. The launch was conducted by the U.S.-Russian joint venture International Launch Services (ILS). This marks the 300th flight of a Proton vehicle, including 38 years of Russian federal missions and seven years with commercial flights under the auspices of ILS. Today's mission was the first Proton rocket launch of the year for ILS. The vehicle used today was Proton vehicle with a Briz-M upper stage, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 22:15 on 6 June 2003 UTC. After 8 hours and 55 minutes, the AMC-9 satellite was separated from the Briz-M and placed into geostationary transfer orbit. Satellite builder Alcatel Space of Cannes, France, contracted for the launch as a delivery-in-orbit mission.{{cite web|url=https://www.ilslaunch.com/300th-mission-flown-by-proton-vehicle/|title=300th mission flown by Proton vehicle|publisher=International Launch Services (ILS)|date=7 June 2003|access-date=4 April 2021}}

The GEO communications spacecraft AMC-9, formerly known as GE-12, experienced an energetic event estimated to have occurred at approximately 07:10 UTC on 17 June 2017, after approximately 14 years on-orbit. SES S.A., the spacecraft owner-operator, described this event as a "serious anomaly". Following this event, the spacecraft began a westward drift in the GEO belt. Debris fragments have been observed in the vicinity of the AMC-9 spacecraft. The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) characterizes this episode as an anomalous event. The spacecraft bus is the popular Thales Alenia Space (formerly Alcatel Space) Spacebus-3000B3 satellite bus. Spacecraft dry mass is estimated to be on the order of 2000 kg. On-board stored energy sources include fuel and pressurized components, as well as the battery subsystem.{{cite news |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/07/a-large-satellite-appears-to-be-falling-apart-in-geostationary-orbit/ |title=A satellite may be falling apart in geostationary orbit |publisher=Ars Technica |first=Eric |last=Berger |date=2 July 2017 |access-date=4 April 2021}} SES claims that it re-established contact with the satellite on 1 July 2017, that it poses no risk of a collision with other active satellites, and that by the end of the day following the anomaly, most of AMC-9's traffic had been transferred to other SES satellites.{{cite news |url=https://spacenews.com/ses-amc-9-has-no-risk-of-a-collision-with-other-active-satellites/ |title=SES: AMC-9 has "no risk of a collision with other active satellites" |publisher=SpaceNews |date=21 June 2017 |access-date=4 April 2021}}{{cite news |url=https://www.spaceintelreport.com/ses-re-establishes-communications-amc-9-pieces-satellite-appear-broken-off/ |title=SES re-establishes communications with AMC-9; pieces of satellite appear to have broken off |publisher=Space Intel Report |date=2 July 2017 |access-date=4 April 2021}} SES regained control of the spacecraft and retired AMC-9 to the long-term super-synchronous graveyard orbit.{{cite journal |url=https://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv22i1.pdf |title=Two Anomalous Events in GEO |journal=Orbital Debris Quarterly News |publisher=NASA Johnson Space Center |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=February 2018 |access-date=27 May 2024}}

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{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170720182906/https://www.ses.com/our-coverage/satellites/315 AMC-9 website from SES S.A.]

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{{Orbital launches in 2003}}

Category:Communications satellites in geostationary orbit

Category:Spacecraft launched in 2003

Category:SES satellites

Category:Satellites using the Spacebus bus

Category:Derelict satellites orbiting Earth