French telecom satellite to be launched from Baikonur space center.

MOSCOW, November 23 (Itar-Tass) - A Russian carrier rocket of the
Proton-M family is due to lift off from the Baikonur Space Center at 14:19
GMT Monday and to take into orbit the W-7 telecommunications satellite of
the French company Eutelsat, Alexander Borbrenyov, the press secretary of
the Khrunichev State Aerospace Corporation said.
"Total trip into orbit from the liftoff of the carrier rocket to the
satellite's separation from the booster block will last 9 hours 12
minutes," a source at the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos said.
He indicated that the burned-out first stage of the carrier rocket is
expected to fall in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, the second stage -
in the Republic of Altai in the south of Siberia, and the third stage - in
the Pacific Ocean.
The W-7 satellite has been produced by the French company Thales
Alenia Aspace to ensure telecommunications and television broadcasting in
Europe, Central Asia and Africa. It will stay in operation for fifteen
years.
Launches of Proton-M three-stage liquid-propellant missiles are
effectuated by the company International Launch Services /ILS/, in which
the Khrunichev corporation has the controlling stake.
This is the sixth launch of the Proton-M missiles this year and the
55th launch since their commissioning for commercial operations in 1996.
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