Russians Launch US Telecoms Satellite From Kazakh Base

A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a US telecommunications satellite blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sunday, in the sixth such launch since the beginning of last year, the ITAR-TASS news agency said quoting a space-station official.

By Space Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published May 21, 2005 · Updated March 16, 2026

The satellite, belonging to the DirecTV group in the United States, which broadcasts digital television to 14 million homes, was scheduled to separate from the rocket early Monday.

Five further launches for US operators were scheduled later this year.

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