Proton-M rocket with a Russian Express-AM6 communication satellite will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. As reported by the Russian Space Agency, the launch is scheduled for 19:09 by Moscow time. According to the schedule, 10 minutes after the start, the main part of the unit consisting of Breeze-M space tug and Express-AM6 spacecraft will dissemble. Independent functioning of the satellite is scheduled for Wednesday, 04:31 by Moscow time.
It will be the second launch of Proton after the May accident, when the most powerful Russian communication satellite Express-AM4R was not launched into the orbit. At that time, the bearing destruction in the turbopump unit of the steering engine of the third stage of the rocket was the caused the failure. The first "post-accident" launch was held in September.
This time the Proton rocket should take the Express-AM6 telecommunication satellite into the orbit. It is created by JSC Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnev Company on the basis of Express 2000 heavy class platform. The device is designed to provide a wide range of communication and broadcasting services on the territory of Russia. Its payload includes 11 antennas, 72 transponders of C-, Ku-, Ka- and L-band frequency. It is expected that the satellite will operate in space at least 15 years.