Posted: Sun, May 22, 2005, 7:05 AM ET (1105 GMT)
The launch of a commercial satellite on a Proton rocket was postponed one day Saturday because of a technical problem. The Proton M was scheduled to lift off Saturday afternoon from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the DirecTV 8 satellite into orbit. However, the launch was scrubbed earlier in the day because of an unspecified "technical problem" about which no further details were provided; International Launch Services later said the problem was with the launch vehicle. The problem has been resolved and the launch is now scheduled for Sunday at 1:59 pm EDT (1759 GMT). The 3711-kilogram DirecTV 8 satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will be placed at 101 degrees west longitude to provide direct-to-home satellite TV services.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now launch status center
•  Interfax article
•  RIA Novosti article