By RIA Novasti
Moscow : The launch of a modified Zenit rocket to put an Israeli communications satellite into orbit has been scheduled for March 2008, a Baikonur space center official said on Friday.
Russia started preparations for the launch of a Zenith-3SLB rocket with an Israeli AMOS-3 satellite on board from the space center in Kazakhstan in October last year.
“For the first time, a three-stage Zenit rocket will be launched from this [Baikonur] space center,” Oleg Urusov said.
All previous launches of this version of the Zenit rocket have been conducted from the Sea Launch consortium’s floating launch platform in the Pacific Ocean.
The $170-mln satellite will join the AMOS-1 and AMOS-2 satellites to increase capacity, expand coverage areas and enhance direct cross-Atlantic links that connect the Mideast to Europe and the U.S. East Coast, according to Space Communications Ltd., the operator of the AMOS satellite fleet.