Article Posted on : - Apr 24, 2010

A Russian Proton-M space rocket. A file photo.

MOSCOW (AFP): A Russian Proton rocket carrying a US AMC 49 telecommunications satellite was launched into orbit Saturday, the Russian space agency said on its website.

"At 3:19 pm (1119 GMT), we successfully launched a Proton-M space rocket with a Briz-M booster carrying the US AMC 49 satellite" from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the agency said.

US operator SES World Skies' satellite will be in geostationary orbit and serve the United States and the Caribbean, Interfax news agency said.