A Russian Proton-K rocket carrying a U.S. commercial communication satellite GE-1A was successfully launched at 2 a.m. Moscow time on Monday, an official in the strategic missile command’s press service told Interfax.
This is the 11th Proton launch in 2000, he said.
Following a long pause attributable to failures of Protons in July and October 1999, the Khrunichev space center is trying to catch up and plans to make 14 launches before the end of the year, a record number for the center. Some of the satellites will serve commercial purposes and others will be part of the Russian national space program.
The GE-1A is intended for direct digital domestic telecasting. Its service life is expected to last 15 years.
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