Posted: Fri, Sep 30, 2011, 8:13 AM ET (1213 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully launched a communications satellite for global operator SES on Friday. The Proton-M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:32 pm EDT Thursday (1832 GMT Thursday, 12:32 am local time Friday) and released the QuetzSat-1 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit a little over nine hours later. The satellite, a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series spacecraft, weighed 5,514 kilograms at launch and carries 32 Ku-band transponders. SES will operate the spacecraft at 77 degrees west in GEO to provide direct-to-home television services by a division of US company EchoStar. The launch was the first commercial Proton launch, and the second overall, since a Proton failure in August.
