Russia successfully puts U.S. satellite into orbit

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket successfully put a U.S. telecoms satellite into orbit on Monday, March 26 space officials said. The Intelsat-22 separated from Proton’s Briz-M booster "normally," a spokesman for the Russian space agency Roscosmos told RIA Novosti.

The Proton-M rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan on Sunday afternoon, in a launch brokered by International Launch Services Inc. (ILS), a joint U.S.-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 UHF payload under a $167 million contract with the Australian Defense Ministry.