Posted: Sun, Apr 25, 2010, 11:42 AM ET (1542 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully launched a US-built communications satellite on Saturday. The Proton-M rocket lifted off at 7:19 am EDT (1119 GMT, 5:19 pm local time) Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and placed the SES-1 satellite into geosynchronous orbit nine hours later. The satellite, an Orbital Sciences Star-2.4 model, weighed about 2,550 kilograms and carries 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders. It will be used by SES World Skies to provide communications services from 101 degrees west, replacing the AMC-2 and AMC-4 satellites. The launch was the third commercial Proton mission this year and the fifth overall Proton launch of the year.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  AFP article
•  ILS press release