Russia launches Proton rocket with US telecommunications satellite

MOSCOW (AFP) Jun 17, 2004
A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a US telecommunications satellite blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Thursday, space officials said.

The rocket was launched at 02:27 Moscow time (2227 GMT Wednesday), and the Intelsat-10 satellite is due to reach orbit in several days, officials quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency said.

Intelsat-10 will carry links for digital broadcasting, telephone, broadband Internet access and corporate networks and will cover Europe, South America, Africa and Middle East.

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