Russia puts US telecoms satellite into space
A Russian Proton-M rocket launched a US telecommunications satellite into orbit from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome, the Khrunichev space centre and ILS launch services provider said.
The Proton launch took off from the Russian cosmodrome at Baikonur at 10:40 pm (1840 GMT) Saturday, the Khrunichev centre said late Saturday.
"After a nine-hour 13-minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the EchoStar XV satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit," International Launch Services (ILS) said Sunday, referring to the Proton rocket's fourth stage.
"This is a high energy orbit that will enable the satellite to have approximately 20 years of service life," the US-based firm said.
The satellite will provide programming for the DISH Network, a US pay-TV broadcaster with more than 14 million subscribers.
The Khrunichev space is the manufacturer of the Proton rocket and the majority shareholder in ILS.
In a similar launch in March, the centre put into orbit an EchoStar XIV telecommunications satellite.
(c) 2010 AFP
