Russia carried out on Thursday the first launch of a Proton-M heavy class carrier rocket in 2019 to orbit Russia's most powerful communications satellite Yamal-601
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2019) Russia carried out on Thursday the first launch of a Proton-M heavy class carrier rocket in 2019 to orbit Russia's most powerful communications satellite Yamal-601.The rocket lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 08.42 pm Moscow time (17:42 GMT).�According to information on the Roscosmos website, the Briz-M booster with Yamal-601 satellite is expected to separate from the 3rd stage of the rocket 10 minutes after the launch.
Russia has carried out six space launches in 2019 so far - three from the Baikonur cosmodrome, two from the Kourou cosmodrome (in French Guiana) and one from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. All of them involved Soyuz carrier rockets.
Yamal 601 is Russia's most powerful telecommunications satellite, which carries 18 C-band transponders, as well as 19 Ku-band and 26 Ka-band transponders. It will be operated by Gazprom Space Systems, a subsidiary of Russia's energy giant Gazprom.
