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RUSSIAN PROTON CARRIER ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES AMERICAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE AMC-12

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 3, (RIA Novosti) - 2005's first Proton carrier rocket with an American AMC-12 communication satellite on top was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5.27 a.m. Moscow time, a spokesman for Russia's Space Forces said.
A real-time report of the launching was relayed through the Khrunichev Centre's website, and the spacecraft is expected to reach its target orbit at 2.46 p.m. Moscow time.
The AMC spacecraft was built by Alcatel Space on a new generation platform - Spacebus-4000.
The weight of the satellite is 4,979 kilograms. It is intended for rendering television and telephone services to a wide range of users, creating corporate networks and for other electrocommunication purposes.
The spacecraft will be in a geostationary orbit at longitude 37.5 degrees W, which will enable it to cater to clients in South and North America, Caribbean countries, Europe and Africa.
SES - AMERICOM is the company that ordered and owns the AMC-12. The contract for the launching services was concluded by JV International Launch Services, which offers Proton (Russia) and Atlas (US) heavy-class launch vehicles on the world market. ILS includes American corporation Lockheed Martin (US) and its Russian partner - the Khrunichev State Space Center.