Posted: Sat, Jun 16, 2001, 8:54 AM ET (1254 GMT)
A Russian Proton booster successfully launched a European communications satellite late Friday night. The Proton lifted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan at 9:49 pm EDT Friday (0149 GMT Saturday) and placed into orbit the Astra 2C spacecraft. Astra 2C, a Boeing 601 spacecraft, will be used by Luxembourg-based Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) to provide a variety of communications services from either 19.2 or 282. degrees East longitude. The launch was the second commercial Proton launch of the year, after the May launch of PAS-10, and the third Proton launch overall of 2001.

Related Links:

•  ILS press release
•  Boeing press release