Intelsat flight controllers are checking out Intelsat 14, the newest telecommunications satellite in the Intelsat fleet, after its launch early Nov. 23 on an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Liftoff of the Atlas V 431 came at 1:55 a.m. EST, with spacecraft separation at 3:53 a.m. United Launch Alliance provided the launch services.

Built by Space Systems/Loral on a SS/L 1300 spacecraft bus, Intelsat 14 carries 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders, broadcasting via four different beams. It also carries a hosted U.S. Defense Dept. payload - the Internet Router In Space (IRIS), designed to test how well ground forces can communicate through the space link using Internet protocol and their existing equipment.

"Such hosted payload programs are prime examples of how governments can take advantage of commercial platforms to meet long-term communication requirements in an economical way," said Kay Sears, president of Intelsat General Corp. Cisco Global Government Solutions Group provided the IRIS payload.

Set for deployment at 315 degrees East Longitude, where it will replace Intelsat's IS-1R satellite, Intelsat 14 has a 15-year design life.

Intelsat 14 launch: ULA