BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan - A Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully launched the Express AM6 satellite into orbit on October 21. The vehicle lifted off at 7:09 p.m. Moscow time (11:09 a.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the sixth launch of the Proton vehicle this year and the 399th mission since its inaugural flight in 1965.
The Express AM6 telecommunications satellite was built by ISS Reshetnev and will use 72 transponders to provide services to Russia, Central Europe and the Middle East from 53° East in geostationary orbit. Express AM6 is owned by Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), a state-owned civil communications satellite operator.
The Proton vehicle is manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Space Production Center of Moscow. The Proton has suffered a series of failures in recent years, marring its record for success.
Despite these failures, the Proton has remained an important player in the launch market, as it is one of the few launch vehicles capable of carrying large geosynchronous communications satellites into orbit. Launches of the Proton will decline in 2014, due to government investigations into a failure in May. Diplomatic issues between Russia and the U.S. might also limit opportunities to launch Western-built satellites.
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