Summary of the MEXSAT (Centenario) Launch

• Name & Operator: Centenario—also known as MexSat‑1—was part of Mexico’s national satellite network, MEXSAT, operated by the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation

• Purpose: Built by Boeing on the 702HP GeoMobile platform, Centenario was designed to support mobile satellite services across Mexico. It was intended for applications such as national security, disaster relief, emergency communications, telemedicine, rural education, and connectivity for government operations—especially in areas beyond terrestrial network coverage

• Launch Attempt & Failure: Centenario was launched aboard an ILS‑provided Proton‑M rocket in mid‑May 2015. Approximately 490 seconds after liftoff, a failure occurred in the rocket’s third stage, preventing orbit insertion and causing the satellite to fall back into Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate

• Aftermath: The satellite was insured, and Mexico received a payout of roughly $390 million. Its loss was mitigated by planning to launch its twin, Morelos III, later in 2015 to fill the gap

MEXSAT‑1 (Centenario), a Boeing-built mobile communications satellite for Mexico’s national MEXSAT network, was lost when its Proton‑M rocket failed during launch in May 2015; the satellite was insured and its twin (Morelos III) was slated to replace it.