08.12 Russia Launches British Satellite

MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian Proton-M carrier rocket with a British telecoms satellite blasted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Sunday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

The launch occurred at 16:12 Moscow Time [12:12 GMT], as planned. The orbital unit (the Breeze M upper stage and the satellite) has separated from the rocket, a Roscosmos spokesman told RIA Novosti.

The Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite’s separation is due in some 15 hours, on Monday.

The satellite, built by Boeing Satellite Systems, provides a wide range of voice and data services through an established global network of distributors and service providers. Its expected service life is 15 years in geostationary orbit.

This was the third satellite of the Inmarsat series launched with the help of a Proton-M carrier rocket.