Proton-M rocket puts Angolan telecom satellite into transfer orbit

MOSCOW. Oct 12 (Interfax) - A Proton-M launch vehicle put the Angolan telecommunications satellite Angosat-2 into a transfer orbit after it was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Wednesday.

As seen from a live broadcast being run by Roscosmos, the satellite coupled with the DM-03 upper stage separated from the third stage of the Proton-M in about ten minutes after liftoff.

According to Roscosmos, the satellite is based on the Express-1000N platform developed by Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev. The spacecraft weighs about 1.7 tonnes, and its planned service life is 15 years. It is supposed to be put into a geostationary orbit with an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.

"The spacecraft is capable of providing telecommunications services to the entire African continent, as well as European countries. It is intended to provide fixed and mobile telecommunications services, digital television, and high-speed Internet access," Roscosmos said.

The Angosat-2 satellite was manufactured to replace the Angosat-1 satellite, which was sent into space by a Zenit launch vehicle from Baikonur on December 26, 2018. After the Angosat-1 reached its intended orbit, it stopped transferring telemetry. Specialists first hoped to revive the satellite after it entered a radio coverage zone in April 2019 but eventually acknowledged its loss.

The Proton launch vehicle has been operated since the mid-1960s. Its modernized version, the Proton-M, has been used to put payload into orbit since 2001.

The Angara family of launch vehicles is supposed to replace the Proton in the future. A launch pad for the Angara family is currently being built at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.