Published: 7 July, 2007, 10:43
Edited: 7 July, 2007, 10:43
A Russian Proton rocket has blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Asia, carrying a U.S. communications satellite. It is the first time the booster has carried a six tonne payload into space.
The commercial satellite will provide high-definition digital television to the U.S. mainland, Alaska and Hawaii.
The satellite is expected to be operational for the next 15 years.