MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti) - A launch of a Zenit carrier rocket with a U.S. telecommunications satellite originally scheduled for Sunday midnight has been delayed for technical reasons, a spokesman for Russia's space agency Roscosmos said.
"The new launch time is not known yet," he said, adding the launch could be delayed "by an indefinite time or by 24 hours."
The Zenit rocket was to be launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan to deliver the U.S. satellite into orbit.
The Zenit-3SLB is a modernized three-stage version of the Zenit-3SL, which was previously used at Sea Launch's floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.
Intelsat-15 has been developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and is designed to replace the Intelsat-709 satellite. Intelsat-15 is equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders and will provide telecommunications services for the Middle East and Russia.
The satellite weighs 2.48 tons and has a service life of at least 15 years.
