MOSCOW, March 13 The Proton-M rocket with the Breeze-M upper stage was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and placed the upper stage into an intermediate orbit Breeze-M with the Luch-5X relay satellite, Roscosmos reported.
«Today at 02:13 Moscow time, the Proton-M launch vehicle with the Breeze-M upper stage and the Luch-5X spacecraft were launched from the 200th site of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch vehicle operated in normal mode , the upper stage has separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle and launches the satellite into a predetermined orbit,» the statement on the state corporation's website reads.
According to the documents available, the separation of the Luch-5X satellite and launch into orbit is scheduled for 11:15 Moscow time.
Now the constellation of Russian relay satellites has three spacecraft — «Luch-5A», «B» and «V». The devices provide information exchange with stationary and mobile objects on the ground, in air and outer space.
The Proton-M rocket to launch the satellite was sent to Baikonur back in 2021, the launch was planned in the same year. Then the start was postponed to 2022, but even then it did not take place.
The launch vehicle and upper stage were manufactured by the Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center (part of the state corporation Roscosmos).
The Proton-M launch vehicle has been used since 2001 to launch payloads into various near-Earth orbits and departure trajectories within the framework of federal and commercial programs.