Posted: Sun, Jul 11, 2010, 12:02 PM ET (1602 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully placed an American direct-to-home (DTH) television satellite into orbit early Sunday. The Proton M lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:40 pm EDT Saturday (1840 GMT Saturday, 12:40 am Sunday local time) and injected the EchoStar 15 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit a little over nine hours later. EchoStar 15, a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series spacecraft, weighed over 5,500 kilograms at launch and carries 32 Ku-band transponders. DISH Network will use the satellite, located at 61.5 degrees west in GEO, to provide video programming to its customers in the US. The launch was the fifth commercial Proton launch this year and the seventh Proton launch overall in 2010.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Itar-Tass article
•  ILS press release