A Zenit carrier rocket is scheduled to be launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Sunday to deliver a U.S. telecommunications satellite into orbit, Russia's space agency Roscosmos said.
"A Zenit-3SLB carrier rocket with an Intelsat-15 spacecraft is scheduled to be launched at 24:00 Moscow time [21:00 GMT]," Roscosmos said.
The Zenit-3SLB is a modernized three-stage version of the Zenit-3SL, which was previously used at Sea Launch's floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.
Intelsat-15 has been developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and is designed to replace the Intelsat-709 satellite. Intelsat-15 is equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders and will provide telecommunications services for the Middle East and Russia.
The satellite weighs 2.48 tons and has a service life of at least 15 years.
MOSCOW, November 29 (RIA Novosti)
