Russian and China Launch Updates

Russia successfully launched a proton rocket carrying a telecommunications satellite early Saturday, a day after postponing the launch for technical reasons, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

By Space Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published June 23, 2000 · Updated March 16, 2026

Russia successfully launched a proton rocket carrying a telecommunications satellite early Saturday, a day after postponing the launch for technical reasons, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

The Express-AM satellite, to be used for television and telephone communications, was launched from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on Saturday at 0028 GMT, the news agency reported.

The new generation satellite built in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk weighs 2,600 kilogrammes (2.5 tons).

The Express-AM is the second communications satellite to be launched this month and is expected to remain in orbit for seven years.

Friday’s launch was postponed when technicians found a fault in the fuel system.

The satellite is equipped with 17 communications transponders built by the French company Alcatel Espace.

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