| Ekspress-AM4R | |
| Names List: | Экспресс-АМ4Р Express-AM4R |
| Mission Type: | Communications |
| Operator: | Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) |
| Website: | https://eng.rscc.ru/ |
| Mission Duration: | 15 years (planned) Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft: | Ekspress-AM4R |
| Spacecraft Type: | Eurostar |
| Spacecraft Bus: | Eurostar-3000 |
| Manufacturer: | EADS Astrium |
| Launch Date: | 15 May 2014, 21:42:00 UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Proton-M / Briz-M |
| Launch Site: | Baikonur, Site 200/39 |
| Launch Contractor: | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| Entered Service: | Failed to orbit |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Orbit Regime: | Geosynchronous orbit |
| Orbit Longitude: | 80° East |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Trans Band: | 63 transponders: 30 C-band 28 Ku-band 2 Ka-band 3 L-band |
| Trans Coverage: | Russia |
| Insignia Size: | 200px |
| Programme: | Ekspress constellation |
| Previous Mission: | Ekspress-AT2 |
| Next Mission: | Ekspress-AM6 |
Ekspress-AM4R (Russian: Экспресс-АМ4Р meaning Express-AM4R) [1] was a Russian communications satellite intended for operation by the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC). Constructed as a replacement for Ekspress-AM4, which was left unusable after the upper stage of the launch vehicle carrying it malfunctioned, Ekspress-AM4R was also lost due to a launch failure.[2]
Astrium, which had become part of Airbus Defence and Space by the time of the satellite's launch, constructed Ekspress-AM4R, which was based on the Eurostar-3000 satellite bus.[3] It was identical in design to Ekspress-AM4, with a mass of and a planned operational lifespan of fifteen years. The satellite carried sixty-three transponders: thirty operating in the C-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, twenty eight in the Ku-band, two in the Ka-band and three in the L-band. It was to have been the largest and most powerful satellite in the Ekspress constellation.[4]
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center was contracted to launch Ekspress-AM4R, using a Proton-M / Briz-M launch vehicle - the same configuration that had failed to deploy Ekspress-AM4. The launch took place from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, at 21:42:00 UTC on 15 May 2014. Shortly after launch the launch vehicle was reported to have encountered a problem during third stage flight, and as a result the satellite failed to reach orbit.[5]