By Xinhua
Moscow : Russia early Saturday launched a US heavy communication satellite into the geo-transfer orbit for the first time in history, the Russian Federal Space Agency said.
The US satellite Direc TV10 was blast off on Russia's Proton-M carrier at 01.16 a.m. GMT Saturday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The commercial multipurpose satellite Direc TV10, which was designed on the basis of the Boeing 702 platform, is the heaviest spacecraft, weighing 5,900 kg.
The satellite will provide high-resolution digital television broadcasting service through cable and national nets in the US mainland, Alaska and Hawaii.
The operational life of the satellite is 15 years. The orbital group of Direc TV10 currently consists of nine satellites. The satellite will be put into the geo-stationary orbit with a control point of 102.8 degrees east longitude.