The Proton-M launch vehicle successfully launched the Express-AM8 communications satellite into the target orbit, after which the satellite separated from the upper stage and was taken over by the launch customers, the reports . press service of Roscosmos

Proton-M with a Russian communications satellite launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Monday at 22:00 Moscow time; it took about six and a half hours to launch the satellite. The satellite will provide telecommunications services to consumers in European Russia, Europe, Africa, South America and the east coast of North America. Presumably, the device can last 15 years.

On August 28, was Proton-M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the first time since the May accident. The launch vehicle was launched with the Briz-M upper stage and the Inmarsat-5 communications satellite.

In May, during the launch of the Proton-M launch vehicle from the Baikonur cosmodrome with the Mexican telecommunications satellite MexSat-1, an accident occurred; the device did not separate from the third stage of the launch vehicle at the expected time and the satellite was lost. As a result, the debris of the launch vehicle and spacecraft completely burned up in the atmosphere.

On August 11, the Investigative Committee (ICR) assessed the damage caused by the accident at 57 million rubles. Prior to this, the Prosecutor General's Office reported that, based on the materials of the inspection into the accident during the launch of a launch vehicle, investigators opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 216 of the Criminal Code (violation of safety rules during mining, construction and other work).

Proton-M launched a Russian communications satellite into its target orbit