By SPA,
Tel Aviv : Israel says it has launched a new communications satellite, the Associated Press reported.
According to the satellite’s operator, Spacecom, the AMOS-3 lifted off Monday from Russia’s main space facility, the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Later in the day, it is to enter orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,500 miles).
The $170 million (¤109 million) satellite is designed to offer increased capacity, expanded coverage and improved links between the Mideast and Europe and the eastern U.S.
It is to remain in space 18 years. The AMOS-3 was designed and manufactured by state-run
Israel Aerospace Industries.
It is replacing the AMOS-1, which has been in orbit since 1996. It is to fly together with the AMOS-2 satellite.