Russia launches Proton-M rocket with telecom satellite

MOSCOW - A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a Yamal-402 telecommunications satellite was launched Saturday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, according to Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos.

Roscosmos' live broadcast of the launch on its official website showed the lifted off at 17:13 Moscow time (1313 GMT).

"The satellite is expected to reach the designated orbit at 02:28 Moscow time on Sunday (2228 GMT Saturday), the agency said.

The rocket was launched on a contract between the Russia-U.S. joint venture International Launch Services.

The Yamal-402, produced by the French company Thales Alenia Space, is a telecommunications satellite designed for the Russian Gazprom Space Systems (GSS).

According to Roscosmos, the Yamal satellite will be equipped with 46 Ku-band transponders providing coverage over the most part of the territory of Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States members, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

It is the second Yamal-class telecommunications satellite that has been launched for GSS this year. In November, a Proton-M rocket carrying a Yamal-300K satellite blasted off from the Baikonur space center.