The complete mated Proton launcher, with Integral safely inside the fairing. The fairing is connected to an air conditionning system.
Once mated, ESA and Alenia engineers verified the correct electrical continuity between the upper stage and the bottom of the Proton rocket. This connection will be used later on the pad to communicate with the satellite, prior to liftoff. A test of the upper stage battery was also witnessed and yielded successful results. Integral is scheduled to be launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on 17 October 2002.