Posted: Sat, Oct 17, 2015, 6:26 PM ET (2226 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully launched a communications satellite for a Turkish company Saturday. The Proton M lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 4:40 pm EDT Friday (2040 GMT Friday, 1:40 am local time Saturday) carrying the Turksat-4B satellite. The satellite deployed from the rocket's Breeze M upper stage nine hours and thirteen minutes after liftoff. The Turksat-4B satellite, built by Mitsubishi Electric for Turksat, weighed 4,900 kilograms at launch. It will operate from 50 degrees east in GEO, providing communication services with a payload of Ka-, Ku-, and C-band transponders.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  Russian Space Web article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  TASS article
•  ILS press release