A Proton-M carrier rocket with two communications satellites aboard was installed on a launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, March 12. The carrier rocket and ground equipment will undergo pre-launch checks and the rocket will be filled with fuel. Its launch is scheduled for 03:08 am Moscow time (11:08 pm GMT) March 16.

Express AT-1 and Express AT-2 satellites were made by the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems in cooperation with the French company Alenia Space for Space Communications under the Russian Federal Space Programme for 2006-2015.

The TurkSat-4A Turkish satellite launched from Baikonur on Saturday with the use of a Proton-M rocket is put into orbit, a Roscosmos source said. The satellite safely separated from the Briz-M upper stage at the planned time, he source said.

TurkSat-4A belongs to the Turkish satellite communication operator Turksat AS. The 3,800-kg satellite made by the Japanese Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) Corporation will be used to provide TV broadcasting services for Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

"The TurkSat-4A spacecraft separated from the upper stage and has been handed over to the client's control," a Roscosmos spokesperson said. The TurkSat-4A belongs to the Turkish satellite communications operator Turksat AS and is designed to provide TV broadcasting and broadband Internet services in Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The satellite was manufactured by the Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) on the basis of the DS2000 MELCO modular platform, is carrying Ku-, Ka-, and C-band transponders, and weighs 4,869 kilos.

The satellite's service life is 30 years. This has been the second space launch Russia has carried out in 2014. A week before, a Soyuz-U rocket carrying the Progress-M-22M expendable freighter spacecraft had been launched from Baikonur.

This was the first Proton launch in 2014. It was reported earlier that Russia had carried out 32 space launches in 2013 out of a total of 82 performed by all countries. It was the first commercial launch by Russia this year.

One of the Russian launches ended up in a crash, and one more was partially successful. Russia performed 23 space launches from the Baikonur space center, 7 from Plesetsk, and 2 from the Yasny launch pad in 2013.

A Soyuz-ST rocket was also used in two launches from the Kourou space center and the Russian-Ukrainian Zenit-3SL rocket in a launch under the Sea Launch program.

In addition, a Russian first stage was used as a component of the South Korean rocket KSLV-1, and it will also be used on the Angara rocket.

The US performed 19 space launches, China 15, France 7, Japan and India 3 each, Iran presumably 1, and South Korea and the Sea Launch consortium 1 each.

Proton-M space vehicles were used in 10 Russian launches in 2013, Soyuz-U, Soyuz-FG, and Rockot in 4 each, Soyuz-2.1b in 3, Soyuz-2.1a and Dnepr in 2 each, and Soyuz-2.1v, Zenit-3SL (Land Launch), and Strela in 1 each.

Source: Voice of Russia