Moscow, December 30: Russia has made this year’s last launch from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan, launching a Proton-M carrier rocket with the US telecommunications satellite DirecTV-12, the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos said today.
”The launch was carried out without incidents, the spacecraft is expected to be orbited at 12:32 Moscow time (1502 IST),” a Roskosmos spokesman told reporters.
The DirecTV satellite operator had a contract with Russian-US joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) to launch the DirecTV-12 on board a Proton-M carrier rocket to expand its existing satellite grouping.
The Boeing-made DirecTV-12 satellite, weighing around 6 metric tonne, will become part of DirecTV satellite grouping and provide high-definition TV, Internet and communications services to subscribers in the United States.
All Proton rockets are made by Russia’s Khrunichev Space and Research Centre.
–Agencies