Russia puts US satellite in orbit

Moscow, March 26 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket successfully put a US telecom satellite into orbit Monday, space officials said.

The Intelsat-22 separated from Proton's Briz-M booster "normally", a spokesperson for the Russian space agency Roscosmos told RIA Novosti.

The Proton-M rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, in a launch brokered by International Launch Services Inc. (ILS), a joint US-Russian enterprise.

Intelsat-22 was built by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems for Intelsat Ltd., which operates the world's most extensive satellite network, made up of over 50 satellites.

The satellite is equipped with 48 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders and will provide telecommunications services to customers in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East.

Intelsat-22 also carries a payload under a $167 million contract with the Australian defense ministry.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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