MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The first Proton-M rocket launch after May's accident has been carried out at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a spokesperson for the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said Friday.
"The launch of Proton with an Inmarsat-5F3 satellite took place at the estimated time. The separation of the spacecraft from the Briz-M upper stage will take place on August 29, at 6:15 a.m. Moscow time [3:15 a.m. GMT]," the spokesperson told RIA Novosti.
They later confirmed that the Briz-M liquid-propellant rocket orbit insertion upper stage separated from the Proton-M rocket as scheduled.
The launch vehicle is intended to carry the United Kingdom’s Inmarsat telecommunications satellite into a so-called supersynchronous orbit, nearly double the 22,400-mile altitude that similar devices are stationed on.
The Boeing Satellite Systems International-built Inmarsat-5F3 is designed to provide communication services in North and South America, as well as in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Russian-US International Launch Services (ILS) joint venture owns the exclusive rights to the sale, marketing and commercial operation of Proton-M carrier rockets. Russia’s Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center owns a controlling share in ILS.
Khrunichev announced the renewal of Proton-M carrier rocket launches last month after their use was suspended due to an accident on May 16.
