Russia Successfully Launches DLA-2 Satellite

The Russian Proton-M rocket carrying the US Intelsat DLA-2 satellite was successfully launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. "We confirm that the separation of the spacecraft from the upper stage has taken place. The launch program has been fully implemented," Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) spokesman said in statement carried by Russian news agency (RIA Novosti). 

    The launch of the Proton-M with the DLA-2 satellite was initially set to take place on Wednesday but was postponed for technical reasons.    

    The DLA-2 satellite was built for Intelsat S.A. of Luxembourg by US-based Space Systems Loral (SSL) of Palo Alto, California.

    The Proton-M is the largest carrier rocket in Russia's fleet of space launch vehicles. The rocket has lifted dozens of Russian made and foreign satellites into orbit since it was first commissioned into service in 2001.