Proton-M carrier rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome

Today, at 02.13 Moscow time, a Proton-M launch vehicle with a Briz-M upper stage and a Luch-5X spacecraft was launched from the 200th site of the Baikonur cosmodrome, the press service of Roscosmos reports. The launch vehicle has worked in normal mode, the upper stage has separated from the third stage of the rocket and puts the satellite into a predetermined orbit," the message says. This is the fourth launch of Russian space rockets in 2023. For Proton-M, this flight was the 115th, for Breeze-M - the 107th in history. The launch vehicle and upper stage were manufactured by the Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation). The Proton-M launch vehicle has been used since 2001 to launch payloads into various near-Earth orbits and departure trajectories within the framework of federal and commercial programs. Over two decades of operation, it has undergone four phases of deep upgrades, which have significantly improved its energy and environmental characteristics. Today's launch was the 429th for the Proton family of rockets since 1965.