Proton-M with Astra-2E satellite launched from Baikonur

A carrier rocket Proton-M with an acceleration unit Briz-M was successfully launched from the Baikonur spaceport early Monday. It carries an Astra-2E European satellite. "The launch was effected from the cosmodrome's Site 200," an official in the press service of the Roscosmos (Federal Space Agency) told Itar-Tass. Nine minutes after liftoff, the acceleration unit separated from the carrier rocket. "The insertion of the satellite into the intended orbit is scheduled for 10:50, Moscow time," the space agency official specified. The Astra-2E, belonging to the SES Astra Company, is designed to broadcast radio and TV programmes in analog and digital format and provide automobile and Internet services for subscribers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.