Moscow: Russia launched a rocket with a US telecommunications satellite from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan, RIA Novosti news agency said quoting the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos Tuesday.
"The launch was carried out without incidents, the spacecraft is expected to be orbited at 12.32 Moscow time," a Roscosmos spokesman said.
The DirecTV satellite operator had a contract with Russian-US joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) to launch the telecommunications satellite DirecTV-12 on board a Proton-M carrier rocket to expand its existing satellite grouping.
The Boeing-made DirecTV-12 satellite, weighing around six tons, will become part of DirecTV satellite grouping and provide high-definition TV, Internet and communications services to subscribers in the US.
All Proton rockets are made by Russia's Khrunichev Space and Research Centre.
IANS
First Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009, 13:10