Russia Launches Military Satellite on Proton Rocket

[mastodon]

Russia Launches Military Satellite on Proton Rocket

Reuters - A Russian Proton-K rocket carrying a military satellite blasted off from a Russian launch pad at Baikonur in Kazakhstan early on Saturday, Russian news agencies said.

Agencies quoted the press service of the Russian space forces as saying the rocket was launched at 3.35 a.m. (2035 GMT).

The launch had initially been planned for early on Friday, but was cancelled at the last minute due to technical problems, the press service said.

Interfax said Saturday's launch was the fourth this year of a Proton booster. The Proton is also Russia's main hope for competitive commercial satellite launches.

Two Proton rockets crashed over Kazakhstan in 1999, leading Kazakh space authorities to slap a temporary ban on launches from Baikonur, but this was lifted in February last year.

Since then there has been a series of commercial launches, providing essential funds for Russia's cash-strapped space programme.

A Russian-built module carrying living quarters for the International Space Station (ISS) was launched on a Proton rocket from Baikonur, which Russia leases from former Soviet Kazakhstan, in July last year.

The ISS project groups Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe.