Proton-M Carrying Military Satellite Launched From Baikonur

MOSCOW/BAIKONUR. Dec 9 (Interfax-AVN) – A Proton-M launch vehicle blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 3:16 a.m., Moscow time, Col. Alexei Zolotukhin, spokesman for the Russian Space Forces, told Interfax by phone.

“The Proton is carrying a military satellite,” Zolotukhin said.

Space Forces Commander Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin arrived at Baikonur on Saturday to oversee the preparations and the launch, he said.

The launch was controlled by the Space Forces’ automated ground services, he also said.

“The satellite is to separate at 12:17 p.m., Moscow time, on Sunday, when it is unreachable for radio contact,” Zolotukhin said.

It is a third military satellite to have been launched since the beginning of the year. Sunday’s launch included, 20 space launches have been carried out from Russian cosmodromes this year. The launch of a Proton-M carrying a Japanese satellite from Baikonur in September was a failure.

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